But speculation of Trisha Krishnan becoming active in politics has intensified after Vijay and Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), his party, massively clinched victory in the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections in the state.
TVK’s performance has been one of the biggest political developments in recent decades in Tamil Nadu. Shocking the political establishment, the party won 108 Assembly seats to become the single largest party, overtaking long-standing powers like Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), representing long-held Dravidian establishments.
At this moment, with the buzz soaring around Vijay becoming the future Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, the political discussions have turned to whether Trisha can make her political debut through TVK in the near future. The buzz escalated as Vijay contested from the two Assembly constituencies, Perambur in Chennai and Tiruchirappalli East and achieved a comfortable win in both seats.
Vijay will ultimately need to move out of one of those constituencies under election rules, necessitating a by-election. They are now buzzing with speculation that Trisha may stand on a TVK ticket from the vacant seat. There has been no official statement from either Vijay or Trisha, but talk of her entering the field has taken off on social media as well as among party faithfuls.
Trisha, strangely, was able to stay very much attached to Vijay in the course of running for the election, even though she herself did not run for a constituency. She was often glimpsed accompanying him to official appearances and campaign events, thus fueling the speculation about her expanding her political career down the line.
Some speculations have also been made that Vijay could leave the Tiruchirappalli East, which could possibly become an effective launching pad for Trisha’s political career. If she were to contest and emerge victorious, there would be speculation about whether she would even be inducted into the cabinet or even considered for a big leadership role in the government, such as Deputy Chief Minister.
There are whispers of Vijay’s father, longtime filmmaker S. A. Chandrasekhar, running for the post left by the TVK chief. But there has not been any official announcement of the party’s plans. The Vijay-Trisha couple have also received comparisons to the iconic political and cinematic duos of former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. G. Ramachandran and former Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa.
Political commentators and fans have observed comparisons between the two sides, observing that Jayalalithaa provided MGR with some behind-the-scenes backing at first, before she emerged as one of Tamil Nadu’s most powerful political leaders. TVK’s sweeping ascent has already transformed the state’s political landscape.
If Vijay can also prove he has majority support and form the government, he will become one of the few film stars in Indian politics to be named Chief Minister immediately after he successfully launched a political party and faces off against the first Assembly election. And on a side note, the potential of Trisha entering a career path has helped add more suspense to Tamil Nadu’s fast-transforming political story.
Whether or not the actress ultimately runs for office, the speculation, at a fundamental level, has had a galvanising effect on both the media and the public. Government formation discussions are still raging, but the eyes are currently turned to Vijay and TVK as Tamil Nadu looks down on what may soon be a page-turning political transformation.
