Rahul Gandhi Will Make CM Vijay Prime Minister in 2029, Claims TVK MLA Kanimozhi

TVK MLA Kanimozhi Santhosh has reignited the debate over who will be India's next Prime Minister in 2029, claiming that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will help Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay ascend to the country's top post, much as she said he helped Vijay become chief minister earlier this year. Speaking to reporters in Chennai on Wednesday, Kanimozhi said, "Congress leader Rahul Gandhi made Vijay Chief Minister; similarly, in 2029, he will hold Vijay's hand and make him Prime Minister as well."

The comments come amid escalating tension between the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) and its coalition partner, the Congress, over how to position their leadership ahead of the 2029 Lok Sabha elections. Kanimozhi further asserted that Tamil Nadu, rather than Delhi, would ultimately determine the country's next prime minister, predicting "some magic" in 2029 and suggesting that Vijay remains TVK's preferred candidate for the role. She added that the composition of the alliance itself could shift depending on how events unfold, saying she would wait to see "who goes in and who goes out" if Congress were to exit the partnership.

The remarks have not gone unchallenged within the alliance. Congress MLA Tharahai Cuthbert firmly rejected TVK's push to project Vijay as a prime ministerial contender, stating that Congress leadership has made a definitive decision to back Rahul Gandhi for the country's top post in 2029. Cuthbert attributed TVK's enthusiasm for Vijay to the party's roots in the film industry, suggesting that such statements reflected fan sentiment among TVK legislators rather than a considered political position. Her comments followed remarks by Tamil Nadu Tourism Minister S Rajesh Kumar, who had earlier warned that Congress ministers serving in Vijay's cabinet could resign if TVK did not throw its support behind Gandhi.

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The dispute has taken on added significance amid reports of friction within the state's ruling coalition. On August 31, Cuthbert was notably shifted from the seating section allocated to TVK MLAs to the front row of the opposition benches in the Tamil Nadu Assembly, a change that fueled speculation about widening differences between the two allied parties. TVK leaders, meanwhile, have continued to press the case for greater national ambitions, with TVK PWD Minister Aadhav Arjuna previously arguing that the country's top constitutional office should be held by a leader from Tamil Nadu.

The back-and-forth has also drawn criticism from opposition parties. AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami mocked TVK's public relations efforts around Vijay's national profile, sarcastically suggesting the chief minister could aim even higher than the prime ministership, while also criticizing government spending under Vijay's administration. Separately, BJP national spokesperson CR Kesavan questioned why Congress continues to participate in the TVK-led state government despite what he characterized as TVK's repeated promotion of Vijay as a prime ministerial candidate.

Vijay, a former actor who became Tamil Nadu's chief minister in May following TVK's success in the 2026 Assembly elections, has previously positioned his party as independent of major national alliances, having ruled out any partnership with the BJP. The current standoff over the 2029 prime ministerial question underscores the delicate balancing act facing the TVK-Congress alliance as both parties navigate competing ambitions ahead of the next general election, with the outcome likely to shape the future of their political partnership in Tamil Nadu.

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