News Tamil Nadu

Part-Time Two-Bit Politician Vijay Using Children For Political Work?

April 26, 2025
The Commune

Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief and part-time politician Vijay has sparked fresh controversy by allegedly allowing individuals under the age of 18 to participate in his party’s first-ever Booth Committee Zonal Conference, held in Coimbatore on 26 and 27 April 2025. This has raised serious concerns, as the Election Commission of India strictly prohibits the involvement of minors in any election-related activities.

Vijay, who recently announced the two-day conference aimed at strengthening TVK’s grassroots network, is already facing backlash for what critics call a hypocritical stance. After publicly supporting environmental causes during his visit to Ekanapuram—where he stood with farmers opposing land acquisition for Chennai’s second airport in Parandur—he opted to travel to Coimbatore via a private chartered flight, drawing accusations of insincerity.

The controversy deepened when chaotic scenes unfolded at Coimbatore airport upon his arrival. Despite police instructions that only 50 supporters would be allowed to gather, thousands of TVK cadres swarmed the terminal area, parking vehicles recklessly and even damaging barricades and entrance grills. The situation disrupted airport operations and left the premises in disarray, raising serious questions about the party’s internal discipline and crowd control planning.

Adding to the growing criticism, reports now claim that minors—those below the voting age—were issued entry tokens and allowed into the Booth Committee meeting. This directly violates Election Commission norms, which clearly state that only individuals eligible to vote can serve in any electoral capacity or participate in related processes.

According to Election Commission directives, the appointment of Booth Level Agents (BLAs) must follow strict eligibility criteria. A circular dated 19 November 2008, outlines that only individuals whose names appear on the electoral roll are eligible to act as agents, and they must be familiar with the area they are assigned to. These rules aim to maintain the integrity of the electoral process.

However, TVK appears to have ignored these fundamental guidelines. Allowing underage participants into an event meant for booth-level political operations suggests either negligence or deliberate disregard for established norms. Critics argue that Vijay seems to operate on his own terms, brushing aside electoral protocols as he builds his political platform.

Earlier, the part-time politician’s party announcement the formation of a ‘Children’s Wing’ as one of the 28 political factions under the TVK umbrella blatantly violating the election code, the constitution, and basic morality.

Children should not be involved in politics until they reach the age of 18. On 5 February 2024, the Election Commission of India issued a press note making it clear that it maintains a zero-tolerance policy towards the use of children in election-related work or campaign activities. The Commission directed political parties, candidates, and election officials to refrain from involving children in any aspect of political campaigns or rallies.

However, the Commission clarified that the mere presence of a child with a parent or guardian near a political leader, as long as the child is not involved in campaign activities, does not violate these guidelines.

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