With just three weeks to go for the Tamil Nadu assembly elections, political campaigns for all parties have started in full swing. Actor Vijay, who is also entering the fray for the first time through Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), undertook campaigns in six areas in Chennai on Monday, meeting and addressing people along with party cadres. However, his first major campaign seems to have run into trouble as he has been booked under five sections for allegedly violating Election Commission's model code of conduct.
A complaint was filed by Flying Squad Officer Kumar, who accused the actor-turned-politician of allegedly used around 30 loudspeakers without proper authorisation. He further complained that the event drew a crowd exceeding 5,000 people, causing road blockage and significant public inconvenience. He is also accused of blocking the path of an ambulance. Video recordings of the complaint have also been submitted to as an evidence.
Based on the information, the Peravallur Police in Chennai have reportedly initiated legal action against the actor and his party.
Vijay was scheduled to address people in six areas including Perambur, Thiruvi Ka Nagar, Peravallur, Thirumangalam, Sidco nagar and Ayanavaram. But his final leg of the campaign was cancelled by the TV leadership, citing security lapses for public and his convoy.
Vijay filed his nomination from the Perambur constituency around 12.15 pm and began his campaign a while later by 1 pm, an hour ahead of schedule. But it took nearly two hours for his convoy to cover a span of 5 km from Perambur to Kolathur as hundreds gathered to catch a glimpse of the actor. The party cadres complained that lack of police officials and poor crowd management had resulted in the TVK chief's convoy unable to move for a long time. They further accused the ruling party DMK of creating issues for their election campaign.
As reported earlier, Vijay is set to contest from two constituencies - Trichy East and Perambur in Chennai, marking a significant step in his political debut. Positioning his party as a serious challenger, Vijay cast the upcoming polls as a direct contest with the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, led by Chief Minister M K Stalin. His campaign pitch centred on clean administration and a break from what he described as entrenched political practices.
The Tamil Nadu assembly elections are scheduled to take place on April 23 with results set to be declared on May 4.