Actor-turned-politician Vijay, who was sworn in as the chief minister of Tamil Nadu earlier this month, contested in the elections from two constituencies, namely Perambur and Trichy East. Having won both constituencies, the CM resigned from the latter, as per procedure. A by-election is scheduled for the constituency.

Meanwhile, speculations about who will contest the seat on behalf of Vijay's TVK have been making the rounds. Of the names that have been discussed so far, serial actor and CM Vijay's friend and fellow actor Sanjeev Venkat has been prominent.

On Friday, Sanjeev participated in a sculpture festival made of fruits and vegetables, held under the CM's name in Chennai. There, while addressing the press, he was asked about whether he will be contending in Trichy East. Issuing a clarity on the same, he said, "It depends on the situation. I have not thought about it as of now. Only time will tell."

Vijay and Sanjeev have acted in several movies together, including Poove Unakkaga (1996), Minsara Kanna (1999), Friends (2001), Badri (2001), Pudhiya Geethai (2003), Sachin (2005), Thirupaachi (2005), Pokiri (2007) and Vettaikaaran (2009), among others.

Earlier, when the Karur tragedy happened in September, Sanjeev voiced in favour of Vijay. When questioned about it at the press meet of Veduvan, he said, "Since I am not in politics, I don't have the knowledge surrounding the issue, but I am sure he will issue a statement to the press and meet them at the right time."

A few days after the tragedy unfolded, Sanjeev shared a few lines from 'Nee Singam Dhan' from Pathu Thala, which roughly translates to 'To bring down your name, even if many elephants gather, you are a lion.' He also tagged Vijay and wrote, "Once a lion, always a lion."