Actor Vishal to float party, contest in 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly polls

CHENNAI: Actor Vishal is reportedly all set to enter politics in the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections.

According to a Daily Thanthi report, Vishal said at an event in Vadapalani, "I will definitely contest in the 2026 Assembly elections."

Citing an example from the film world, Vishal said there was a time when the people had only theatres to watch films. Then came multiplexes and now there are OTT platforms to watch a film.

"Similarly, there will be a [wider] list of candidates for the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections in 2026. People will have a lot to choose from on that list. They can compare and see," he said at the event.

Vishal added that he would launch a political party and contest alone in the Assembly elections to prove to the people who he was as a politician. "Only then will there be an alliance," he said.

In the coming days, the people, including his fans, would witness the next steps he would take, added Vishal.

From AIADMK founder MG Ramachandran (MGR) and his protege and successor J Jayalalithaa to DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi (three of the tallest leaders who have ruled the State for about 55 years since the late 1960s), leading personalities from the film world entering politics is not new in Tamil Nadu politics, the latest being actor Vijay who floated Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK). Vijay, one of the biggest draws in Tamil cinema who has fans across South India, said the party would contest the 2026 State Assembly elections.

Previously, Kamal Haasan had launched Makkal Needhi Maiyam (MNM). The party joined the INDIA bloc ahead of the parliamentary polls 2024, which is led in Tamil Nadu by the ruling DMK.

Radhika Sarathkumar, a leading actor from yesteryears, is a BJP candidate from Virudhunagar Lok Sabha, and is facing off against Vijaya Prabhakar, the son of late actor and founder-leader of DMDK, 'Captain" Vijayakanth.