DMK and Congress leaders rejected the growing “Vijay for PM” campaign as TVK supporters promoted the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister for the 2029 election.

The growing campaign to project Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay as a potential prime ministerial candidate in 2029 has triggered a sharp political debate involving Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam, Congress and the opposition DMK.

The narrative gained momentum after the India Today-CVoter Mood of the Nation survey placed Vijay third among respondents preferred choices for prime minister. The poll gave Prime Minister Narendra Modi 48.7 percent support, Rahul Gandhi 27.1 percent and Vijay 9.2 percent.

Vijay’s supporters have used the survey to strengthen claims that his popularity is expanding beyond Tamil Nadu. Posters backing him for prime minister have also appeared in parts of the state, including Thoothukudi.

The campaign intensified as Vijay completed 100 days as Chief Minister after TVK’s victory in the Tamil Nadu Assembly election. However, Vijay has not personally announced that he intends to contest for the country’s top post.

DMK organising secretary R.S. Bharathi dismissed the campaign and accused TVK supporters of allowing their political imagination to run without limits.

Bharathi said party members might even claim Vijay would become the head of the United Nations. He questioned how Congress could continue supporting the TVK government while Vijay’s supporters promoted him for a position that the national party wants Rahul Gandhi to occupy.

The DMK leader argued that projecting Vijay as prime minister would effectively mean rejecting Gandhi’s candidature. He called on Congress leaders to clarify whether they remained committed to Gandhi as their choice for the 2029 election.

The DMK’s criticism seeks to highlight differences within Tamil Nadu’s ruling coalition. It also gives the opposition an opportunity to question whether TVK and Congress can maintain their partnership while pursuing competing national leadership plans.

Congress Minister Rajesh Kumar said his party had a clear position on the next Lok Sabha election and would support Rahul Gandhi for prime minister. He warned that Congress ministers would resign from Vijay’s Tamil Nadu cabinet if TVK refused to accept Gandhi as the alliance’s candidate in 2029. The statement marks one of the strongest public challenges to TVK from within the ruling coalition.

Higher Education Minister P. Viswanathan also reiterated that Gandhi would be the Congress candidate and expressed confidence that he could defeat Modi. Congress MP Manickam Tagore questioned the opinion poll without directly naming Vijay. Through a political fable shared on social media, he raised questions about survey methodology, sample size, locations and the way results were calculated. “Not every number tells the truth. Not every survey is the voice of the people,” Tagore wrote, ending his post with a reference to the Mood of the Nation poll.

MDMK chief Vaiko, an ally of Vijay, rejected the “Vijay for PM” narrative and said Rahul Gandhi had no clear alternative as the INDIA bloc’s candidate. Vaiko said he doubted whether Vijay personally had ambitions to become prime minister. He urged ministers associated with the TVK alliance to avoid making statements that could create unnecessary disagreements.

According to Vaiko, neither Vijay nor TVK had formally expressed such an intention. His intervention appeared aimed at reducing tensions between members of the state’s governing alliance. The debate nevertheless presents TVK with an important strategic choice. Promoting Vijay nationally could increase the party’s bargaining power ahead of the Lok Sabha election, but it could also damage its partnership with Congress.

The campaign is being driven mainly by supporters, posters, ministerial comments and survey results. Until Vijay or TVK announces an official position, his proposed 2029 candidature remains political speculation rather than a confirmed election plan.