CM Vijay for PM in 2029? TVK ministers pitch amid superhit 100 days

Superstar C Joseph Vijay stormed into the world of politics with his Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) forming the government in Tamil Nadu. Even as Vijay just completed 100 days as the chief minister, voices have started to emerge, pitching him as a contender for the prime minister's post in the 2029 general election. The election is far, and it is too early to predict anything in the maze of politics. Vijay's success in the initial days has established him as a credible leader, with opposition parties finding little to criticise him for.

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For years, Tamil Nadu's politics has largely been a battle over who gets to rule the state. But after completing 100 days in office, the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) appears to be looking beyond the walls of the state Assembly and setting its sights on New Delhi.

The party that began its political journey with actor-politician C Joseph Vijay in 2024 has already crossed one of the biggest thresholds in Indian politics by winning its first election and forming the government in Tamil Nadu in 2026. Now, its leaders are beginning to speak in a language that perceives growth and power beyond the state.

The latest and clearest signal came from TVK Minister for Human Resources Management Sarathkumar, who openly projected CM Vijay as a future Prime Minister of India in 2029.

Speaking in the Tamil Nadu Assembly on Tuesday (August 18), Sarath praised Vijay's work ethic and pitched him to be the next PM, India Today TV's Anagha Keshav reported.

"Our leader, who is a CM in our hearts, home and St George's Fort, is the next Indian PM. You are the next PM. You work without looking at AM or PM, you are definitely the next PM," Sarath said.

The statement might have been made in the Assembly, but politically, it carries a much larger message. For a party that is barely two years old, talk of its leader occupying the country's highest political office signals that TVK might already be thinking beyond the 2026 victory.

There has been no prime minister from Tamil Nadu. Around 70% of prime ministers have come from Uttar Pradesh. Karnataka, the home state of HD Deve Gowda, was the deepest south from where a prime minister has emerged.

NEXT PM FROM TAMIL NADU: TVK MINISTER AADHAV ARJUNA

TVK Minister Sarathkumar's remarks did not come in isolation. Just a day earlier, Tamil Nadu Public Works Minister and TVK leader Aadhav Arjuna had made a more carefully framed but equally significant pitch that India should, in the future, have a "Prime Minister from the South" and that the leader should "emerge from Tamil Nadu".

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Speaking at the India Today Roundtable Tamil Nadu on Monday, Arjuna said that a Prime Minister must emerge from the South and argued that such a leader would represent every Indian and treat every Indian equally.

"I say this clearly today, a Prime Minister must emerge from the South and the Prime Minister will emerge from the South, maybe not now. In the future, he will represent every Indian and will treat every Indian equally," Arjuna said.

The argument was subsequently sharpened in the political arena. The timing of the TVK leaders' pitch is significant.

VIJAY-FOR-PM PITCH COMES AT INTERESTING JUNCTURE

The immediate political challenge for TVK remains governing Tamil Nadu and proving that its electoral success can translate into sustained political legitimacy. But the repeated references to a Prime Minister from Tamil Nadu suggest that the party does not necessarily see its 2026 victory as the final destination.

Instead, it could be the beginning of a larger national project. There is also a historical dimension to the pitch.

It has been nearly three decades since a Prime Minister from a southern state occupied the country's top political office. The last such Prime Minister was HD Deve Gowda from Karnataka, who remained in office from 1996 to 1997. The national politics has been dominated by leaders from the Hindi heartland and western India.

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Therefore, for TVK, projecting Vijay as a potential Prime Minister in 2029 could serve a purpose beyond personal ambition. It could turn the familiar North-South political argument into a national electoral proposition.

There is focus on southern states and their strength in Delhi politics because of the delimitation exercise planned by the Centre. Parties in Tamil Nadu, including the TVK and the DMK, have protested against the move, saying that northern states would get disproportionately empowered in electoral terms.

VIJAY HAS TO PROVE HIMSELF IN TAMIL NADU FIRST

Before a Prime Ministerial ambition can become politically credible, however, Vijay has to prove himself as chief minister.

His first 100 days in office have been marked by a strong welfare push, with several campaign promises moving into implementation. On his first day as CM, the TVK government launched the Singappen Special Task Force, an all-women security wing with a sanctioned strength of 2,545 personnel to tackle crimes against women.

The government has also rolled out the Thaaimaaman Thanga Mothiram Scheme, allocating Rs 560 crore for one-gram gold rings for newborns delivered in government hospitals, and the Annan's Seer Scheme, with Rs 812 crore set aside to provide eligible brides an eight-gram gold coin and silk saree.

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Education and housing have also featured prominently. The Kamarajar Breakfast Scheme has been expanded to cover another 15.14 lakh students in Classes VI-VIII, while Rs 2,000 crore has been earmarked for laptops for college students. Class XI students in government and aided schools are also set to receive bicycles, helmets and water bottles. The Vettri Housing Scheme carries an allocation of Rs 3,500 crore.

For farmers, the government says agricultural loan waivers have benefited more than 14.44 lakh farmers, alongside a Rs 6,000-crore crop-loan waiver and higher incentives for sugarcane and paddy.

Employment and skilling have also featured in the first 100 days, with the government claiming that 12 lakh students and one lakh youth have received training under the Vettri Skill Training Scheme, while the Vettri 150 Scheme promises 150 days of guaranteed employment.

Vijay has also moved quickly on some of his more politically visible promises. His government announced 200 units of free electricity every two months for domestic consumers using up to 500 units. On law and order, 65 special task forces, called STING, have been constituted to target drug networks and organised gangs.

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The government has also shut 717 TASMAC liquor shops located near schools, temples and bus stands. At the civic level, the TN-VETTRI programme proposes Rs 6,000 crore annually for water supply, sanitation, solid-waste management and rural connectivity.

This balance could ultimately determine whether the Prime Ministerial talk remains political rhetoric or develops into a serious national proposition for TVK.

ANNAMALAI'S PRAISE FOR VIJAY'S STYLE OF POLITICS

The voices within the TVK have emerged at a time when legacy parties have seen protests, especially by Gen Z. Political start-ups, like Vijay, might gain traction as disruptors.

The Aam Aadmi Party of Arvind Kejriwal was the OG political start-up of recent decades. However, the idea of fast pan-India growth didn't help the AAP. However, Vijay's politics have been different from Kejriwal's.

Vijay's style of operating the government has also drawn praise from former Tamil Nadu BJP chief K Annamalai.

At the India Today Tamil Nadu Roundtable in Chennai, Annamalai described the change brought by the Vijay government as "a very fresh breath" into Tamil Nadu politics, particularly praising what he sees as a shift in the conduct and functioning of legislators.

"For a long time, we have seen people falling at each other's feet, taking photos and everything, wearing uniforms, shirts having uniforms, even your handkerchief having uniform. We were making a mockery of Tamil Nadu politics for a long, long time by doing all these kinds of nonsense," Annamalai said, taking a swipe at the established Dravidian parties, the DMK and AIADMK.

The IPS officer-turned-politician also identified the Vijay-led government's approach to corruption as another positive.

"Another positive thing I'm seeing is that this government is genuinely against corruption. That I'm seeing, I'm hearing. I'm also observing with a lot of our contracts," Annamalai said.

But he also sounded a note of caution, saying the government had so far failed to communicate a clear roadmap for Tamil Nadu.

And that might be the real challenge before Vijay. A 100-day honeymoon can establish momentum. A full term in office will establish credibility. And only sustained governance can turn the growing talk around Vijay from a political slogan into a national ambition.

For now, the 2029 Prime Ministerial pitch has come from within Vijay's own party rather than from a broader national coalition. But the fact that it is being voiced so early, barely 100 days into his first term, is itself a political signal.

TVK entered Tamil Nadu politics in 2024, captured power in 2026 and now its leaders are already talking about New Delhi in 2029. Whether Vijay can make the leap as a national contender is a question for another election. But the conversation has begun, and the ambition looks clear. However, it might take lessons from the political curve of the AAP.

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With inputs from Anagha Keshav