Actor-politician Vijay unveils party flag, gears up for 2026 Assembly polls

Popular Tamil film actor-turned-politician Vijay unveiled the flag of his political party Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK) on Thursday and hoisted it at his party headquarters in Panaiyur near state capital Chennai.

The bi-colour flag with maroon on top and bottom, has a yellow horizontal stripe in the middle with a motif of two fighting tuskers on either side of the vaagai flower, scientific name Albizia lebbeck. The word vaagai means victory in Tamil.

However, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has objected to the use of the elephant image on the TVK flag, saying this violates the Election Commission's rules. BSP Tamil Nadu unit president P. Anandan said the elephant was the election symbol assigned to the BSP in 1993 by the EC.

The unveiling of the flag and also the official launch of the party anthem by Vijay heralds a new chapter in Tamil Nadu politics marked by the entry of TVK, which is gearing up to face the 2026 Assembly elections in the state. Though Vijay announced the launch of his political outfit in February, he chose not to contest the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, nor did he support any party during the polls.

While unveiling the TVK flag, the actor took a pledge along with his party workers. "We will always appreciate the fighters who fought and sacrificed their lives for the liberation of our country, and countless soldiers who fought tirelessly for the rights of our people from Tamil soil," the pledge read.

The party took a vow to remove the differences in the name of caste, religion, gender, and place of birth, and also to create awareness among the people and strive for equal opportunities and equal rights for all.

"There's an interesting story of historical significance behind the (party) flag. I will explain it along with party principles and plan of action at the upcoming state-level conference," Vijay said, addressing the party workers, calling upon them to strive hard in the coming years and uplift the people.

"This is not a mere party flag. I see it as a flag of the victory of Tamil Nadu's future generations," he said at the event, which was also attended by his parents, filmmaker S.A. Chandrasekhar and Shobha Chandrasekhar.

The TVK's first state-level conference will be announced soon. "So far, we have looked after ourselves and from now on, we will work for the growth of Tamil Nadu and its people," Vijay said and added, "be confident, (our) victory is certain."

P. Anandan, who assumed charge as BSP state chief recently, said in a video posted on X that the party flag unveiled by Vijay contained two elephants. "Elephant is the election symbol assigned to the BSP in 1993 by the ECI," he said.

"As per the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) order 1968 of the ECI, and also the commission's 2004 notification except in Assam and Sikkim, no other state or national recognised political parties should use the elephant symbol," he said.

After his party's central leadership flagged the issue, the TVK leaders were informed. "We spoke to Vijay's manager Venkat and explained to him in detail and also submitted documents. He replied that the issue would be examined soon. We hope a good decision will follow," he said.

Anandan further said those who designed Vijay's party flag might not be aware of the EC rules. "Having an elephant symbol on the TVK's party flag will only cause huge confusion among voters during elections. Therefore, I request that the image of elephants is immediately removed from Vijay's party flag," he urged.