Vijay Pitches Direct Battle with Stalin Without Committing to NDA After Karur Tragedy

By The Vagabond News | November 6, 2025

The Shift in Strategy

Vijay — actor-turned-politician and head of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) — has signalled a full-fledged political confrontation with M. K. Stalin and the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) in Tamil Nadu, but notably stopped short of committing his party to join the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

In a high-stakes party meeting held on November 5, convened in the wake of the tragic stampede at a TVK rally in Karur district that killed 41 people, the TVK adopted twelve resolutions. These included naming Vijay as the party’s chief-ministerial candidate for the 2026 assembly elections, authorising him alone to chart alliance decisions, and rejecting talk of immediate alliance with NDA. (Hindustan Times)

Karur Tragedy as Catalyst

The rally in Karur on 27 September ended in a fatal crowd crush, with inadequate crowd control and delays cited as major factors. (Wikipedia) Since then, the TVK has used the incident to fault the DMK government’s handling of the tragedy — including alleged narrative-management, hurried formation of inquiry commissions, and media briefings that TVK says aimed to shift blame. (India Today)

During his address, Vijay accused the DMK and Chief Minister Stalin of “playing politics without humanity, ethics and dignity” in the aftermath of the tragedy. (Hindustan Times)

Strategic Positioning: Battle with DMK, But No NDA Tie-in Yet

While the TVK declared that the “real fight” in Tamil Nadu in 2026 is between TVK and DMK, it consciously left open the possibility of alliances, with no immediate commitment to the NDA. A senior TVK official confirmed, “There is no alliance talk for now. Our stance reflects in the resolutions passed today.” (Hindustan Times)

At the meeting, Vijay emphasised:

“The fight in 2026 is between only two parties – TVK and DMK. This fight has just become stronger.” (Hindustan Times)

He also accused the DMK of using state institutions and processes to target his party — citing the reinstated probe by the Supreme Court of India into the Karur incident and referring to the court’s critical remarks about the SIT process. (India Today)

Implications for Tamil Nadu Politics

Escalation of rivalry: The TVK’s transformation from a nascent party to a serious challenger to the DMK signals a sharpening of political fault-lines in Tamil Nadu ahead of the 2026 elections.
Alliance ambiguity: By avoiding an immediate tie-up with the NDA, TVK retains flexibility — making it a potential “king-maker” or independent challenger.
Burden of Karur tragedy: The stampede remains central to the narrative battle — TVK uses it as leverage to criticise the government, while the DMK blames organisational failures of the rally. (The Times of India)
Narrative dominance: Vijay and TVK seek to claim the moral high ground by positioning themselves as victims of a government campaign, which may resonate with voters disillusioned by governance and accountability.

What to Watch

Whether TVK formally joins or allies with either the NDA or the broader opposition bloc in the near future.
How the DMK responds — will it treat TVK as a key competitor and shift its campaign strategy accordingly?
Outcomes of investigations into the Karur tragedy and how legal/administrative accountability plays into the electoral discourse.
Shifts in voter sentiment in Tamil Nadu — whether this new TVK-vs-DMK axis resonates with younger and urban voters, especially given Vijay’s star appeal.