Polls On My Pod: TN and the Thalapathy Factor

Polls On My Pod: TN and the Thalapathy Factor

From The Morning Brief by The Economic Times

April 23, 2026 · 12 min · Episode 942

About this episode

The episode discusses the upcoming Tamil Nadu elections and the impact of actor-turned-politician Vijay on the political landscape.

Tamil Nadu heads to the polls with its familiar two-party battle DMK vs AIADMK facing an unprecedented challenge. Actor-turned-politician Vijay and his party TVK are injecting fresh uncertainty into a state that has ritually voted out incumbents since 1967. With law and order, corruption, and drugs dominating voter anxieties, MK Stalin's "Dravidian model" faces a tough stress test. Vijay's caste-neutral identity and populist promises are drawing the youth away from established loyalties. In 120 seats won by razor-thin margins, even a vote-splitter can rewrite history. Host Nidhi Sharma talks to ET’s Dia Rekhi and Krishna Kumar how April 23 could be one Tamil Nadu's most consequential elections. You can follow our host Nidhi Sharma on her social media: Twitte r & Linkedin Check out other interesting episodes like: How Will a Volatile ₹ Impact You in 2026? , How Quick Commerce is Triggering a Health Crisis for Gen Z , Two Women Fought to Change India's Maternity Laws...and Succeeded , Can India Truly End Naxalism? , Semaglutide Goes Generic: Big Pharma’s Moat Breaks   and much more . Catch the latest episode of ‘The Morning Brief’ on ET Play , The…

People in this episode

Host: Nidhi Sharma

Guests: Dia Rekhi, Krishna Kumar

Topics covered

  • Tamil Nadu elections
  • politics
  • youth engagement
  • DMK vs AIADMK
  • populism
  • caste identity

Keywords

  • Tamil Nadu
  • elections
  • DMK
  • AIADMK
  • Vijay
  • youth
  • populism
  • politics

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: DMK, AIADMK, TVK

Places: Tamil Nadu

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