By Admin 
This time in Tamil Nadu Assembly Elections 2026, issues, promises and speeches have been left behind. The game of politics is also becoming interesting and complicated. This time the competition is not only between parties, but also between names. The flood of namesake candidates on many seats in Chennai has complicated the electoral mathematics and Vijay and his party Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK) have been most affected.
In many seats of Chennai, it seems as if there is no election but a copy-paste competition of names and the biggest target has been superstar-turned-politician Vijay and his party Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK).
As soon as the last date of nomination ended on April 6, the picture became clear that many candidates with the same name are in the fray on many seats in Chennai. Political experts are not considering this as a coincidence, rather they are calling it a well-thought-out strategy whose purpose is to confuse the voters and divide the votes.
Not one Vijay, the entire ‘Vijay family’ in the field
The real Vijay is contesting from Perambur seat… but the fun came when two more ‘Vijays’ also jumped on the ballot. In Perambur seat, where actor Vijay himself is contesting, two more candidates have filed nomination with exactly the same name. In such a situation, the same name will appear on the ballot multiple times and the game of confusion will begin from here.
This is considered to be the biggest blow for TVK, because the party has entered the electoral arena on a large scale for the first time and its identity has not yet been strengthened. Now imagine the condition of the poor voter, standing in front of the EVM with only one question in his mind: “Dude, who is my Vijay?”
‘Name clone’ on every seat
Not only in Perambur, but the same pattern is visible in many seats of Chennai. The entire community named “Señora” has landed in the harbour. In Royapuram, three Jayakumars are standing in line in front of D Jayakumar – as if they have come to fill the form at the ticket window. Two more candidates with the name “Sinora” are in the fray against TVK candidate Sinora PS Ashok in the Harbor seat. In Royapuram, three namesake candidates are standing against D Jayakumar.
TVK candidate D Selvam on Chepauk-Triplicane seat TVK’s D Selvam is facing Udhayanidhi Stalin in Chepauk-Triplicane seat… but he also has three ‘duplicates’ where he is facing Udhayanidhi Stalin.
The situation in Thousand Lights is such that even JCD Prabhakar himself might have to check twice whether I am real or not! Three namesake candidates are also standing against JCD Prabhakar on Thousand Lights seat. The same strategy is being seen in seats like Villivakkam and Egmore.
There was a flood of memes – questions raised on social media
TVK supporters, while sharing copies of the affidavits on social media, have alleged that the documents of the three namesake candidates have been verified by the same notary advocate. However, when attempts were made to contact these candidates, no clear response was received. On one call the reply came – “Wrong number” and the call was disconnected. Others remained silent on the purpose of their nomination.
“One Name, Three Candidates—Buy 1 Get 2 Free!”
When you call, the answer is “wrong number.”
When I wanted to talk to these namesake candidates, one of them picked up the phone and said, “It is a wrong number” and disconnected the phone. The other one kept such a mysterious silence that it seemed as if some undercover mission was going on, not an election.
This is not a joke, it is a complete strategy, what is the effect of this ‘name game’?
Political analysts say that fielding namesake candidates is not a new thing. This strategy is adopted especially in close contests so that the voters get confused and the votes of the real candidate are deducted.
This time a total of 628 nominations have been filed for 16 seats in Chennai. Perambur has the highest number of candidates at 66, while Mylapore has the lowest at 25. Laughter is in its place now, but it is an old game in politics – a strategy to cut votes.
When there is a close contest, create confusion in the name… and force the voters to think. A total of 628 candidates are in the fray for 16 seats in Chennai. The 66 candidates in Perambur—that is, the EVM—may also be wondering, “Where should I fit so many names?”
The real twist is yet to come, what will be the electoral impact?
How much this ‘name game’ will affect the election results will become clear only after the counting of votes on May 4. But it is certain that this time the voters will have to recognize not only the candidate but also the correct name.
This new turn in the politics of Tamil Nadu gives a clear indication – now the elections have become not just a battle of issues or faces, but also a battle of identity and confusion. Now when voting will take place, the real comedy can be seen on that day, when the voters will stand in front of the EVM and read the names… and then will blink their eyes and think – “Brother, is this Vijay my one or the next one?”
Tamil Nadu Elections 2026 have made one thing clear – this is not just politics, but has become a reality show of identity.