Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and TVK leader Vijay has thrown his weight behind Rahul Gandhi as the INDIA bloc's Prime Ministerial candidate for 2029, according to Congress Legislature Party leader Tharahai Cuthbert, who has sought to put an end to speculation about growing differences between the two allies.

Cuthbert said Vijay's political position remained clear despite sections of TVK supporters beginning to project the actor-turned-politician himself as a future Prime Minister.

According to the Congress leader, Vijay has chosen Rahul Gandhi for the top national job and is proceeding politically on that basis.

Her intervention assumes significance amid speculation that the question of who should lead the INDIA bloc nationally could create friction between the Congress and TVK following Vijay's dramatic rise in Tamil Nadu politics.

Vijay-for-PM buzz triggers political debate

The controversy followed the latest India Today Mood of the Nation survey, in which Vijay emerged as the third-most preferred choice for Prime Minister.

The result generated considerable enthusiasm among TVK supporters, with sections of the party beginning to publicly promote their leader's national ambitions.

That, in turn, created unease within the Congress.

Reports suggested that Congress leaders had warned that the alliance could come under pressure if TVK formally sought to project Vijay instead of backing Rahul Gandhi as the opposition bloc's Prime Ministerial face.

Cuthbert, however, sought to draw a distinction between the enthusiasm of party workers and the official political position of Vijay and the TVK leadership.

Supporters are naturally enthusiastic about their leader, she indicated, but such expressions should not automatically be interpreted as a formal change in the alliance's position.

For now, according to Cuthbert, Vijay remains behind Rahul Gandhi.

Vijay and Rahul's political chemistry

The relationship between Vijay and Rahul Gandhi has emerged as an important element of the new political equation in Tamil Nadu.

Vijay's TVK dramatically altered the state's political landscape in the 2026 Assembly election, breaking into a political arena that had for decades been dominated principally by the DMK and AIADMK.

His victory transformed the actor from a political newcomer into Tamil Nadu's Chief Minister and immediately gave TVK a potentially important role in national opposition politics.

The personal equation between Vijay and Rahul Gandhi has also been conspicuously warm.

Rahul was invited to Vijay's swearing-in ceremony in Chennai, where the newly elected Chief Minister publicly described the Congress leader as his “brother”.

Rahul has subsequently expressed support for the TVK government.

That relationship could become increasingly significant as political parties begin positioning themselves for the 2029 Lok Sabha election.

Congress insists it remains an independent force

Cuthbert simultaneously sought to make clear that alliance with Vijay does not mean the Congress has surrendered its independent political identity in Tamil Nadu.

The party, she said, continues to expand its organisation in the state and operates as an autonomous political force.

Her remarks appear designed to establish a careful political balance: the Congress remains committed to its partnership with the TVK government while retaining the right to build its own organisation and pursue its national objectives.

For Congress, that distinction could become important if Vijay's popularity continues to expand beyond Tamil Nadu.

TVK's spectacular electoral arrival has already established Vijay as one of the country's most closely watched regional political figures.

A strong showing in national popularity surveys is likely to encourage supporters who believe he could eventually play a role beyond state politics.

Congress predicts Rahul Gandhi will be PM

Cuthbert, however, left little ambiguity about whom Congress sees occupying the Prime Minister's Office after the next general election.

She predicted that Rahul Gandhi would become Prime Minister in 2029.

The Congress leader also attacked the BJP over the recent FIR registered against Rahul in Haldwani, Uttarakhand, amid the controversy surrounding the so-called “shuddhikaran” row.

Cuthbert portrayed the episode as evidence of political nervousness within the BJP and argued that Rahul's public acceptance was increasingly troubling his political opponents.

The BJP would strongly contest that characterisation, but the remarks demonstrate the Congress's determination to position Rahul as the central national challenger ahead of 2029.

Assembly seat change was routine, says Cuthbert

Cuthbert also dismissed political interpretations surrounding a recent change in her seating position inside the Tamil Nadu Assembly.

She said the move was linked to her elevation as the Congress floor leader rather than any shift in relations with the government.

Cuthbert was appointed leader of the Congress Legislature Party in the Assembly on August 13.

Following her appointment, she was allocated a front-row seat on August 31, consistent with the prominence generally accorded to legislature-party leaders.

For the moment, therefore, Congress insists there is no political message hidden in either the Assembly seating arrangement or the Vijay-for-PM posters.

But the episode has provided an early glimpse of a question that could grow substantially larger before 2029.

Vijay has already conquered Tamil Nadu's electoral stage. If his national popularity continues to rise, his supporters are unlikely to stop imagining a bigger role for him.

The Congress, meanwhile, has its own answer to the leadership question.

Vijay may be the rising star his supporters want to see in Delhi — but according to his Congress ally, the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister has already made his choice for 2029: Rahul Gandhi.