CHENNAI — Officials have booked a case against Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam chief Vijay for violations of the Model Code of Conduct and traffic regulations during a rally held in the city, with authorities noting that the infractions demonstrated a 'rapid learning curve' in the transition from cinema to politics.
The case was registered after the rally, attended by thousands of supporters, allegedly blocked major thoroughfares for several hours while featuring campaign materials that exceeded prescribed dimensions. Election Commission officials confirmed that Mr. Vijay's violations were 'consistent with established norms for first-time political entrants,' adding that similar cases had been filed against seventeen other parties in the past week alone.
'The Model Code of Conduct is a comprehensive document,' said a senior Election Commission official, speaking on condition of anonymity. 'We find that most candidates begin reading it only after their first violation notice.' The official added that Mr. Vijay's case file was currently thirteenth in a queue of pending investigations, with an estimated review timeline of 'sometime after the election results are announced.'
TVK spokesperson R. Mohan defended the rally, stating that the party had 'made every effort to comply with all known regulations,' while acknowledging that several regulations had become known only after the event. 'We have taken note of the authorities' feedback and will incorporate these learnings into future rallies,' the spokesperson said, reading from a prepared statement that was later found to exceed the permissible word count for official party communications.
Traffic police officials reported that the rally caused congestion across twelve major junctions, with vehicles stranded for periods ranging from forty minutes to three hours. 'The delays were regrettable but unavoidable,' said a police officer familiar with the matter, who noted that traffic management plans had been submitted to authorities two days after the rally concluded.
The Election Commission confirmed it is currently processing 847 complaints related to code violations across Tamil Nadu and West Bengal, with officials expressing confidence that all cases would be 'thoroughly examined' by a date to be determined. 'The Commission takes these matters seriously,' said a spokesperson. 'Each complaint will receive the full attention it deserves, in the order it was received, as resources permit.'