In Tamil Nadu, Premalatha fights to keep Vijaykanth's legacy alive

ON THE CAMPAIGN trail in rural Tamil Nadu, Premalatha Vijayakanth brushes aside comparisons of her late husband and actor-politician “Captain” Vijayakanth with poll debutant Vijay of the TVK.

- ARUN JANARDHANAN

“I don’t have any opinion,” says Premalatha, chief of the DMDK that was founded by her husband in 2005, before returning to a familiar refrain — that Vijayakanth was not just another actor-turned-politician, but also a leader who stood “among the people”.

In the afternoon heat of Mangalampettai town, near Virudhachalam — the constituency where Vijayakanth once carved his lone but symbolic victory in 2006 — that distinction hangs in the air, unspoken but firm: Vijay is not Captain.

The convoy arrives first — a string of SUVs cutting through narrow roads that opened into small junctions and interior stretches of Cuddalore district. Premalatha steps into the scorching sun, her voice steady as she moves from one micro-gathering to another.