None of the senior politicians in Tamil Nadu has expressed any particular liking for actor Vijayakanth or his 150-odd films. But that was till the 2006 state assembly elections. So earlier this month, when ‘Captain’ (as he is popularly known after a hit movie) Vijayakanth came to New Delhi, he was not merely a lone MLA representing a fledgling outfit. Instead, he had with him the numbers—a vital ingredient in today’s age of coalition politics.

When he launched his party, the Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (National Progressive Dravidian Federation), in Madurai in 2005 with the drum as his symbol, he modeled himself after one of the most successful actor-politicians, M.G. Ramachandran, who founded the AIADMK. Soon, he was given the title ‘Black MGR’.

The big breakthrough, however, happened when the DMDK was able to corner over eight per cent of the votes polled in the 2006 assembly elections. He emerged as the newest spoilsport—the mark of a future ally, some said—as the DMDK candidates ensured the defeat of many prominent candidates, mostly those of the AIADMK. The Captain had arrived.

In subsequent elections to local bodies and the 2007 Madurai by-elections, the party retained the momentum, winning some civic body seats, coming a close third in the by-elections and garnering a sizable number of votes in the process.

In a fragmented political space connected only through electoral arrangements and a thread of Dravidian ideology, the path to power is through adjustments and diplomacy. But by attacking the leaders of all three regional parties—Karunanidhis, Ramadoss and Jayalalithaa—on charges of nepotism and corruption, the DMDK has narrowed its options to smaller players in the state.

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