With the DMK having faced an electoral setback in the recent Tamil Nadu State Assembly elections, actor Rajinikanth has paid a visit to the party's leader and the former chief minister of the state, MK Stalin. A photo of Rajinikanth sitting across from Stalin in the latter's house has been making the rounds on social media.
Actor-turned-politician Vijay's Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam defeated the incumbent Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam at the recent elections, with the former winning 108 seats and the latter winning only 59 seats. MK Stalin was also defeated in his constituency by TVK candidate VS Babu by about 8700 votes.
As the DMK, along with its allied parties, secured the second majority, they will be the opposition party for the upcoming tenure. As MK Stalin failed to secure a seat, his son, Udhayanidhi Stalin, former deputy chief minister and current MLA for Chepauk, is likely to take on the post of leader of the opposition.
Meanwhile, Rajinikanth's visit to Stalin comes at an important time, given the actor's interest in the field of politics and the support he has extended to the party over the years. In 1995, when Rajinikanth was poised to enter politics but decided against it, he supported the DMK alliance and advocated for them. He extended the same support to DMK during the 1998 Indian general elections as well. Rajinikanth was set to make his political entry in 2017 but backed out in 2021 owing to his health conditions. Following Vijay's victory, the actor shared an X post congratulating the actor-politician.
Vijay secured 108 seats in the elections, with him winning both Trichy East and Perambur. The politician is likely to choose Perambur and resign from Trichy East, with a by-election due for the resigned seat. Meanwhile, Vijay needs 11 more seats to prove a majority and form the government. The Indian National Congress has agreed to form an alliance with TVK, giving them 5 more seats. Vijay is slated to take the oath as Chief Minister-elect on Thursday, May 7, at Nehru Indoor Stadium. He has, however, requested two weeks of time from the governor to prove majority.
On the work front, Rajinikanth wrapped up filming for Jailer 2 a few days ago. The Nelson directorial will also see the return of Muthuvel Pandian's wife, played by Ramya Krishnan, and his daughter-in-law Mirnaa. The reprisal of Shivarajkumar's and Mohanlal's cameo appearances in the sequel has also been confirmed. New names added to the ensemble this time around include Jatin Sarna, Mithun Chakraborty, Santhanam, Suraj Venjaramoodu, Vijay Sethupathi, Meghana Raj Sarja and Anna Rajan.
He will also star alongside Kamal Haasan in the much-anticipated KH x RK, also helmed by Nelson, which sees the stars return on screen after four decades. Meanwhile, Kamal is also producing a film starring Rajinikanth and directed by Don fame Cibi Chakravarthy.
