Signs of internal friction have reportedly surfaced within Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) even as the party accelerates its candidate selection process for the upcoming Tamil Nadu Assembly elections.
According to party sources, differences have emerged between TVK General Secretary Bussy Anand and political strategist John Arokiasamy over the criteria for selecting candidates. The disagreement is said to have led to parallel exercises in preparing potential candidate lists.
Sources indicated that Bussy Anand has been advocating that party tickets be given primarily to long-time workers who have been associated with the movement since the Vijay Makkal Iyakkam days and have carried out grassroots welfare activities.
In contrast, John Arokiasamy is reportedly arguing that electoral success would depend on fielding candidates with strong winnability, financial strength and local influence rather than relying solely on organisational loyalty.
The situation has reportedly been further complicated by the role of Aadhav Arjuna, who has been appointed election management general secretary and district in-charge for regions including Chennai, Ranipet and Tiruvallur. He too is said to be preparing a separate list of prospective candidates.
The developments come at a time when TVK has begun a large-scale exercise to identify nominees for all 234 Assembly constituencies in Tamil Nadu. Earlier, the party had invited aspirants to collect application forms from the headquarters for a fee of ₹100. It subsequently required applicants to pay ₹10,000 while submitting the completed forms, and aspirants have continued to file their applications.
Party functionaries and supporters have reportedly expressed concern that internal grievances are not effectively reaching the top leadership and that organisational streamlining remains incomplete. Against this backdrop, the candidate selection process is said to have triggered heightened internal tensions.
The developments assume significance as Tamil Nadu is widely expected to head into Assembly elections soon, with Election Commission officials already having held final-stage consultations in the state. Political observers expect the poll schedule to be announced in the first or second week of March 2026.
Sources within the party claim that a contest over influence among senior functionaries has intensified, leading to uncertainty over who will ultimately be declared official candidates.
Criticism has also reportedly been directed at party president Vijay, with some supporters alleging that he has not been sufficiently engaged in day-to-day organisational matters. However, there has been no official response from the party leadership on these claims.
With multiple power centres said to be emerging within the party structure, observers say TVK faces the immediate challenge of presenting a unified front ahead of the elections.
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