TVK Trichy rally chaos: Vijay’s campaign hit by power cut, crowd frenzy

Tamil film star and TVK (Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam) leader Vijay’s much-anticipated campaign for the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections got off to a messy start in Trichy on Saturday (September 13).

Landing at the local airport at 9.40 am, he was scheduled to head to Marakadai for his first speech. But what should have been a quick journey turned into a five-hour ordeal. Thousands of fans and supporters turned up on both sides of the road, causing gridlock and forcing the leader's convoy to crawl at a snail’s pace. Despite police restrictions on roadshows, the frenzy was nearly impossible to control.

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

By the time Vijay reached Marakadai around 3 pm, expectations were high. Yet the moment he took the stage, the rally descended into silence.

Power outage controversy

Vijay’s speech was halted not by choice, but by an audio-system failure. According to senior TVK leaders, the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board (TNEB) cut power supply to the entire area.

Also read: 'Vijay can't convert a crowd into a party; he missed a chance to ally with AIADMK'

“Fans were ready to hear Vijay’s big speech, but the mics went dead. It was a shocking moment,” said a TVK functionary.

Party leaders alleged the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) government deliberately pulled the plug, fearing the TVK’s growing popularity. They even claimed that power was cut again at Vijay’s next stop in Ariyalur.

EB’s counterclaim

Local TNEB officials, however, said the disruptions were caused by unsafe actions during the rally.

According to EB sources, TVK cadres were climbing trees and tall towers, interfering with electrical infrastructure and triggering safety shutdowns. Officials insisted there was no political interference in the outages.

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The conflicting accounts have deepened suspicion. Was it a deliberate attempt to weaken the TVK’s momentum, or just a case of poor planning and unsafe rally practices?

High political stakes

The fiasco highlights the high stakes as Vijay seeks to establish his TVK as a serious political force in Tamil Nadu. With elections just a year away, every move is being closely scrutinised.

Also read: Vijay’s Madurai meet: Big words, grand show, but no roadmap, say critics

This chaotic start has sparked heated debate about whether Vijay’s popularity is rattling the ruling DMK, or if the incident simply exposed flaws in campaign management.

Either way, the incident has only amplified attention on the TVK and Vijay’s political debut. As one observer put it: “Was this sabotage or just campaign chaos? Either way, it shows Vijay is being taken very seriously.”

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