Courtesy: Generated By AI
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam chief C Joseph Vijay’s projection as a possible prime ministerial contender in 2029 has triggered a political row, with the DMK mocking the campaign and Congress leaders pushing back as Rahul Gandhi remains their preferred candidate for the top post.
The debate intensified after the August 2026 India Today-CVoter Mood of the Nation survey placed Vijay third among respondents asked who was best suited to be India’s next prime minister.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the survey with 48.7 per cent, followed by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi at 27.1 per cent. Vijay received 9.2 per cent, putting the actor-turned-politician ahead of several established opposition leaders.
What does the Mood of the Nation survey say about Vijay?
The August 2026 Mood of the Nation survey was conducted by CVoter. According to India Today, 25,184 people were directly surveyed between July 1 and August 25, while another 91,795 interviews conducted during the preceding six months as part of CVoter’s regular tracking were incorporated into the findings.
Vijay also performed strongly when respondents were asked which current opposition leader was best suited to lead the opposition alliance.
Rahul Gandhi topped that question with 29 per cent support, while Vijay received 12.2 per cent, ahead of Mamata Banerjee, Arvind Kejriwal and Akhilesh Yadav.
The findings do not make Vijay a declared candidate for the 2029 Lok Sabha election. They measure respondents’ preferences at the time of the survey.
The political reaction to the numbers, however, has pushed the question of Vijay’s national ambitions into sharper focus.
Why has DMK mocked the Vijay for PM campaign?
DMK organisation secretary RS Bharathi dismissed the growing campaign around Vijay’s possible national role.
Speaking about the TVK push, Bharathi said there was “no limit to their imagination”, according to India Today.
He also sought to turn the issue towards Congress, questioning the implications of TVK leaders projecting Vijay for prime minister while Rahul Gandhi remains Congress’s choice for the post.
The intervention highlights a potentially difficult question for the ruling alliance in Tamil Nadu ahead of the 2029 Lok Sabha election.
Congress supports the Vijay-led government, but the party continues to back Rahul Gandhi for the prime minister’s post.
Congress raises stakes over Rahul Gandhi
The disagreement has gone beyond criticism of the survey.
Congress minister Rajesh Kumar, who serves in Vijay’s government, said Congress ministers would leave the Tamil Nadu cabinet if TVK did not support Rahul Gandhi as its prime ministerial candidate in the 2029 election.
The statement exposes the political tension created by the growing “Vijay for PM” campaign within an alliance whose two principal parties could potentially favour different candidates for the country’s top job.
Congress MP Manickam Tagore separately appeared to question the Mood of the Nation findings.
Tagore shared a Tamil-language post on X titled “The Fox’s Fake Poll”, using a fable about a fox conducting a survey among animals to question polling methodology.
The post raised questions about the size and location of the sample, who was interviewed, what questions were asked and how the results were calculated.
Tagore did not directly name Vijay or TVK but used the hashtag #MOTN.
“Not every number tells the truth. Not every survey is the voice of the people,” Tagore wrote, according to India Today.
How did the Vijay for PM 2029 campaign begin?
The national projection of Vijay had begun gaining momentum before the latest Mood of the Nation findings.
TVK leaders have publicly spoken about the Chief Minister eventually taking on a national role following the party’s victory in the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly election.
TVK minister Sarathkumar made one of the clearest pitches on August 18 when he projected Vijay as a future prime minister while speaking in the Tamil Nadu Assembly.
A day earlier, Tamil Nadu minister Aadhav Arjuna had argued that a future prime minister should emerge from southern India and Tamil Nadu.
The campaign became more visible after the Mood of the Nation findings, with posters projecting Vijay for prime minister appearing in parts of Tamil Nadu, including Thoothukudi.
The push coincides with Vijay completing his first 100 days in office after TVK’s breakthrough victory in the 2026 Assembly election.
Could Vijay actually be a PM candidate in 2029?
For now, there is a significant distinction between political projection and an established electoral plan.
The Mood of the Nation survey records public preference rather than candidacy. Vijay’s 9.2 per cent puts him a distant third behind Modi’s 48.7 per cent and Gandhi’s 27.1 per cent.
TVK leaders and supporters have nevertheless used Vijay’s showing to strengthen the argument for a future national role.
That creates an immediate challenge for the TVK-Congress relationship. If the parties remain allies through the 2029 Lok Sabha election, they could eventually have to settle the question of whom the alliance would support for prime minister.
The “Vijay for PM” campaign has therefore developed into more than a discussion about one opinion poll. It has opened an early debate over Vijay’s national ambitions, Rahul Gandhi’s position and the political direction of the ruling alliance in Tamil Nadu ahead of 2029.
