Vijay more preferred as PM in Northeast than in South: MOTN poll

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay’s rapid rise in national politics has acquired an unexpected geographical dimension. The actor-turned-politician may have built his political career in Tamil Nadu, but his strongest backing as a potential prime minister comes not from the South but from the Northeast.

The regional break-up of the August 2026 India Today-CVoter Mood of the Nation survey shows that 18.5 per cent of respondents in the Northeast name Vijay as the person best suited to be India’s next prime minister. That is substantially higher than the 14.3 per cent support he receives in the South.

The finding stands out because Vijay is still a relatively new entrant to electoral politics and, unlike Narendra Modi or Rahul Gandhi, does not yet have a political organisation with a significant presence across the country.

Nationally, Vijay has emerged as the third-most preferred choice for prime minister, with 9.2 per cent support, behind Modi at 48.7 per cent and Rahul Gandhi at 27.1 per cent. He is well ahead of established regional leaders such as Mamata Banerjee, Akhilesh Yadav and Arvind Kejriwal. 

But the regional numbers make his showing even more intriguing. Vijay’s 18.5 per cent support in the Northeast is more than twice his all-India figure of 9.2 per cent. It is also four percentage points above his support in the South. His numbers fall to 9.6 per cent in the East and 8.5 per cent in the West, while the North is clearly his weakest region at just 4.6 per cent. 
In other words, the political newcomer from Tamil Nadu is four times as popular as a prime-ministerial choice in the Northeast as he is in the North.

The Northeast result is particularly striking because Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam has no significant organisational footprint in the region. His appeal there, therefore, cannot readily be attributed to party machinery, local alliances or an established cadre network.

It could instead point to something more fluid in the political mood: the ability of a high-profile new entrant to attract voters who are looking beyond the established national choices. That is significant for a politician whose national ambitions are already being openly discussed within his party. Vijay formally entered politics with the launch of the TVK in 2024 and became Tamil Nadu chief minister after the party won power in 2026. TVK leaders have since begun projecting him as a possible prime-ministerial contender for the 2029 Lok Sabha election.

The MOTN survey gives that ambition its first measurable national context. 

Vijay also performs strongly when respondents are asked who among current Opposition leaders is best suited to lead an Opposition alliance. He gets 12.2 per cent, second only to Rahul Gandhi at 29 per cent and ahead of Mamata Banerjee, Arvind Kejriwal and Akhilesh Yadav.

The August 2026 Mood of the Nation survey was conducted by CVoter. It directly surveyed 25,184 respondents between July 1 and August 25, with another 91,795 interviews from CVoter’s regular tracking over the preceding six months incorporated into the findings.