Nomination papers rejected: Vijay’s TVK out of Edappadi Assembly constituency contest

Actor-turned-politician Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) suffered an early electoral setback on Tuesday after the nomination papers of both its candidates for the Edappadi Assembly constituency were rejected during the scrutiny process, election officials confirmed.

The Returning Officer for the constituency, S. Natarajan , said the nominations filed by TVK candidate T. Arun Kumar and the party’s dummy candidate were found to be incomplete. As per election rules, independent or smaller party candidates must secure the support of at least 10 proposers while filing nomination papers.

However, during verification, officials found that one application had only seven proposers and the other had eight , falling short of the mandatory requirement. “Both applications were rejected as they did not meet the stipulated criteria,” Natarajan said.

The development comes as a significant blow to TVK , which is attempting to contest all 234 constituencies in Tamil Nadu in what marks the party’s first electoral battle since Vijay formally launched his political outfit earlier this year.

Edappadi holds particular political significance as it is the home turf of AIADMK General Secretary and former Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami , who is once again contesting from the constituency. With TVK now out of the fray in this seat, the contest is expected to turn into a direct showdown between Palaniswami and the DMK’s candidate Kasi C .

The scrutiny of nominations across the state also witnessed moments of tension and drama in other constituencies involving TVK candidates. In Gobichettipalayam , the nomination of TVK candidate K. A. Sengottaiyan was briefly put on hold after AIADMK agents raised objections , though it was later cleared following verification.

Similarly, in Villivakkam , TVK nominee Aadhav Arjuna was asked to provide additional clarifications before his nomination was eventually accepted.

Tamil Nadu will head to the Assembly polls on April 23 , with counting of votes scheduled for May 4 . For Vijay’s TVK, which is trying to position itself as a new political force in the state, the Edappadi episode underscores the organizational and procedural challenges that often accompany a party’s first electoral outing.