Vijay contesting in two constituencies as he lacks courage, says Tiruchi East DMK candidate

Inigo Irudhayaraj, the DMK’s Tiruchi East constituency MLA and candidate, on Sunday alleged that actor and TVK founder C. Joesph Vijay was contesting in two constituencies — Perambur and Tiruchi East — “because he lacked courage”.

He claimed Mr. Vijay had chosen to contest in Tiruchi East in the hope of securing Christian votes. “But he has not opened his mouth against the BJP government’s mistreatment of minorities and Christians. If he has the courage, he should give up the Perambur constituency and only contest in Tiruchi East against me,” Mr. Irudhayaraj said.

Mr. Irudhayaraj, who was elected from the constituency in 2021, asserted that he would win the 2026 election with a margin of 1 lakh. “Arivalayam (DMK headquarters) is the guardian of the Church,” he added.