Santhosh said Gandhi would support Vijay's prime ministerial ambitions just as, according to her, he helped the TVK chief become Tamil Nadu Chief Minister last May.

“Congress leader Rahul Gandhi made Vijay Chief Minister; similarly, in 2029, he will hold Vijay's hand and make him Prime Minister as well,” Santhosh told reporters, as quoted by PTI.

Vijay's PM pitch gains momentum

The latest India Today-CVoter Mood of the Nation survey has added fresh momentum to the campaign projecting Vijay as a potential prime ministerial candidate.

The survey, published on August 28, placed Vijay third among respondents' preferred choices for Prime Minister, behind Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi.

The findings have provided fresh material for Vijay's supporters, who have increasingly sought to project the actor-turned-politician beyond Tamil Nadu following his party's rise in state politics.

DMK, Congress push back

The response from alliance partners has, however, been markedly different.

DMK leader RS Bharathi dismissed the idea of Vijay becoming the prime ministerial face, while Congress leaders have reiterated Rahul Gandhi's claim to the INDIA bloc's prime ministerial position.

Congress draws line over Rahul Gandhi

Congress minister Rajesh Kumar, who is part of Vijay's cabinet, said the party had already made its position clear and warned that its ministers could leave the Tamil Nadu government if TVK did not back Rahul Gandhi.

“All the ministers claim that our Chief Minister is the next Prime Minister. Media friends constantly ask me about this, and I want to make it clear, our leader Rahul Gandhi will become Prime Minister after the 2029 election,” Kumar said.

“If the TVK does not accept this, both Congress ministers will not continue in their posts,” he added.

The remarks highlight the growing tension between the allies over their respective national ambitions, with Congress seeking to retain Rahul Gandhi as its preferred prime ministerial face.

Congress leader Manickam Tagore also appeared to question the survey that placed Vijay among the leading choices for Prime Minister, although he did not directly name Vijay or the TVK.

TVK's electoral breakthrough

In its electoral debut this year, actor-politician Vijay's Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam won 108 seats, disrupting the decades-old dominance of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) in Tamil Nadu politics.

In the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly Elections, the DMK was reduced to 59 seats, while the AIADMK-BJP alliance secured 47 seats, marking a significant setback for the state's traditional Dravidian power centres.

The results have since fuelled speculation about Vijay's ambitions beyond Tamil Nadu, even as his alliance partners remain divided over who should lead the national opposition's prime ministerial race in 2029.