Audio failure, chaos mark Vijay’s election campaign in Trichy

Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) leader Vijay’s maiden election campaign in Tiruchirappalli (Trichy) on Saturday (September 13) turned into a harrowing experience for the attendees, including hordes of women, children, and mediapersons.

Neither the TVK organisers nor the Trichy district police appeared prepared to handle the massive crowds that thronged the roads of the city. The Federal, reporting from ground zero, witnessed firsthand both the fervour of the cadres and Trichy residents, and the risks posed by the lack of crowd management.

The election rally comes ahead of the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly poll, where Vijay hopes to take on the ruling DMK and a resurgent AIADMK-BJP alliance.

Change of plan

At Marakadai spot, 8 km from Trichy airport, where Vijay was scheduled to deliver his first campaign speech, the crowd grew restless and uncontrollable. Many children fainted, while women who had been waiting since early morning were seen standing precariously on road medians.

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According to the original plan, Vijay was to reach Marakadai from Trichy airport by 10:30 am, and complete a 20-minute address near the MGR statue there.

But it took him nearly five hours to cover the 8 km stretch as his campaign van was surrounded by thousands of cadres and followers, with hundreds of vehicles trailing behind.

The Federal team injured

In the middle of the chaos, The Federal’s camera person Karunakaran B fell when a wooden table collapsed. Pushed back and forth by the crowd, he gasped for breath and became unconscious.

It took nearly 20 minutes for the organising team to fetch water and almost 30 minutes to access medical help. Several others in the crowd faced similar ordeals.

At TVS Tollgate, where The Federal team was recording visuals of the surging crowd, young men ran dangerously close to Vijay’s van, banging on its doors. In the melee, mediapersons were shoved around by cadres and TVK bouncers. This writer was nearly pushed under the van before being rescued by passersby.

Lack of amenities

It wasn’t just the press that suffered. Ordinary people who had flocked to see their leader struggled without basic amenities.

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“We came here at 7 am to catch a glimpse of our leader, but there were no policewomen, no safety announcements, or even drinking water,” said S Priya, 22, who waited for five hours at Marakadai only to find Vijay’s speech inaudible due to technical glitches. “Still, I wanted to see him wave at us,” she told The Federal.

M Babu, 33, who had come along with his wife and four-year-old daughter, echoed the disappointment. “This is our leader’s first campaign, we were excited. But we feared for our child’s safety in the huge crowd. The police failed to regulate it, and TVK organisers couldn’t even set up a working mic,” he said.

His wife Rani, a staunch Vijay fan, vowed to join the party despite the ordeal. Babu alleged that “the ruling DMK had a hidden agenda in creating disturbances, as police did little to control the chaos.”

Tech glitches

Throughout the speech, technical failures meant that large sections of the crowd could not hear Vijay. Many raised their hands to signal the sound issue, but the actor-turned-politician carried on, reading from prepared notes and asking twice if he was audible.

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The crowd shouted “no,” but he went on to complete his address with no attempt to get the audio issue fixed. He then waved at his followers before leaving the stage.

What was meant to be a landmark beginning for Vijay’s political journey instead left behind memories of confusion, safety scares, and disappointment for many.