The Gen Z vote that shook the Tamil Nadu elections

With a perception that C. Joseph Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) has tapped into the Gen Z demographic across socio-political backgrounds, some of the first-time voters and young people from across the Gen Z demographic from the state who voted for TVK say this election could well be remembered as “Gen Z’s moment” and their collective push for “change” coming through.

First time voter Nithisha.S.R, a 19-year-old fashion design student from Chennai, calls this election as her “core memory” because of how people largely and decisively voted for the new party. “We simply wanted change. If TVK had not been in the fray, I would have voted for NTK,” she says, who has grown up watching Mr Vijay’s films. “You see, this could be the angst of our generation for the change,” adds she. A fellow 19-year-old, Vishwajith. V., engineering student from Theni, believes that Mr Vijay has connected with Gen Zers more directly than other parties through his speeches, which largely spread on social media. “Other parties only focused on their traditional voters but TVK focused more on the youth vote bank. Even though I am a fan, I read the party manifestos before voting. This moment surely feels surreal,” adds he.