Thalapathy Vijay’s first 100 days as Chief Minister should not be judged by whether he has transformed Tamil Nadu overnight. No government can do that. The more important question is whether the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) government has begun to change the way political power is exercised.
Vijay came to power promising more than a change of government. He criticised the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) for family control, corruption, and intolerance of dissent, and presented TVK as an alternative political culture. The first 100 days are therefore a test of political conduct, not just performance. On that test, the record is mixed.
TVK's maiden budget, presented on 5 August, provides an early indication of the government’s approach. It announced new welfare measures, including free gold coins and silk sarees for brides under the Annan Seer Thittam at a cost of Rs 812 crore, a goat-rearing livelihood scheme for widows and destitute women with an allocation of Rs 110 crore, and an expansion of the breakfast scheme to Classes 6–8. However, several major campaign promises, including Rs 2,500 a month for women heads of households, six free LPG cylinders, and wider free bus travel for women, received no allocation.
The Rs 2,000 crore Vettri Laptop Scheme continues Tamil Nadu’s long-running free-laptop scheme, now with an emphasis on AI readiness.
The free-bicycle scheme for Class XI students is similarly a continuation of a scheme implemented by successive AIADMK and DMK governments. Of course, there is nothing wrong with continuity. A government should retain programmes that work.
However, TVK campaigned on a departure from the established political model. If much of its welfare architecture is inherited, it has to show what is substantively different about its approach. Renaming existing schemes cannot by itself amount to policy innovation.
The government’s fiscal position provides a more complicated picture. The revised estimates for 2026–27 put the fiscal deficit at Rs 1,21,819 crore, broadly in line with the Rs 1.22 lakh crore projected in the previous government’s Interim Budget. The revenue deficit is estimated at Rs 55,775 crore, compared with Rs 48,696 crore in the Interim Budget. Outstanding liabilities remain close to 27 percent of GSDP.
The TVK government has proposed additional revenue mobilisation of about Rs 16,000 crore, including a new liquor production cess, and announced a Revenue Enhancement Committee. Its June White Paper had projected a much higher fiscal deficit of about Rs 1.64 lakh crore. The revised budget, therefore, represents a significant improvement over that earlier estimate.
The government will have to show whether this restraint is part of a longer fiscal strategy or simply postpones difficult expenditure decisions.
On the economic front, the recent investment conclave and its MoUs show the government’s effort to attract investment. But their significance will depend on how many translate into actual projects and jobs; until then, they remain commitments on paper.
During the Assembly session, the government passed resolutions on NEET, the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, delimitation, and Tamil Thaai Vaazhthu. The FCRA resolution was passed on August 11, and the delimitation resolution on August 12.
These resolutions are politically significant, particularly on federalism, delimitation, and the relationship between the state and the Centre.
But they should not all be presented as new initiatives. The Assembly had already adopted resolutions opposing NEET under the previous government.
Tamil Thaai Vaazhthu was also already governed by an order requiring it to be sung at the beginning of official functions. The new resolution, therefore, reinforces an existing position rather than creating a new policy. The other resolutions are legitimate exercises of political authority, but their immediate policy effect is limited. They demonstrate the government’s political positions more than a new model of governance.
Vijay had criticised the previous government over custodial deaths and police excesses. Questions about custodial deaths and police conduct during protests have continued under TVK. The murder of 19-year-old Coimbatore engineering student K Amudhan has also raised questions about the government’s handling of law and order. The government has described the incident as a clash, while the student’s family and others have challenged that account.