Building a party from scratch and leading it to electoral success is an entirely different challenge.
IMAGE: Jhon Arokiasamy has emerged as the key architect behind TVK's remarkable debut, securing 108 seats in the Tamil Nadu asssembly.
Photograph: Kind courtesy Facebook.com
The political strategist whose profile is set to rise sharply after the Tamil Nadu assembly elections is Jhon Arokiasamy, the chief strategist of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam, the party founded by actor-turned-politician C Joseph Vijay.
Arokiasamy has played a key role in shaping Vijay's political journey from its early stages, helping craft a strategy that has now seen the TVK emerge as the largest party in the Tamil Nadu assembly.
The two-year-old party secured 108 seats out of 234, marking a remarkable electoral debut.
Key Points
- Strategic positioning of the TVK as the main Opposition to the DMK played a crucial role in electoral breakthrough.
- Vijay's personal brand and mass appeal combined with Arokiasamy's planning created strong voter resonance.
- Arokiasamy's past political campaigns highlight experience in messaging, branding and coalition strategy building.
- Focus now shifts to alliance formation as TVK eyes government formation in a competitive political landscape.
With the results now in, Arokiasamy's immediate focus is likely to shift to alliance-building efforts that could enable TVK to form the government.
While guiding an established political party to victory on the back of anti-incumbency is often seen as relatively straightforward -- and several well-known strategists have done so -- building a party from scratch and leading it to electoral success is an entirely different challenge.
In that context, Arokiasamy's role in TVK's impressive debut stands out.
Vijay political journey impact
Vijay's immense popularity in Tamil Nadu undoubtedly contributed significantly to the party's performance, but Arokiasamy's behind-the-scenes work has been equally crucial.
His earlier work during the 2016 Tamil Nadu assembly elections for the PMK remains notable. Contesting independently, the party projected Dr Anbumani Ramadoss as its chief ministerial candidate against heavyweights like J Jayalalithaa of the AIADMK and M Karunanidhi of the DMK.
The slogan 'Maatrum Munnetram Anbumani' became one of the most memorable of that election.
Although the PMK did not win seats, the campaign stood out for its messaging, particularly its effort to position the party as inclusive rather than limited to the Vanniyar community.
IMAGE: Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam President Vijay waves to the crowd from his father's residence in Chennai, May 4, 2026. Photograph: Video Grab/ANI Photo
Subsequently, Arokiasamy worked with the Congress during the 2018 Karnataka assembly elections and, with a partner, developed the Shiv Sena's municipal election strategy in Maharashtra.
Arokiasamy had earlier noted that Vijay possessed several advantages over other entrants into politics: He is caste-neutral, has a powerful personal brand -- larger than most contemporaries in Indian cinema at the time of his political entry -- his decision to step away from a lucrative film career to serve the public would resonate with voters, and his relatively young age would appeal across sections of the electorate.
In terms of strategy, positioning TVK as the only credible Opposition to the ruling DMK, while portraying the AIADMK as ineffective, appears to have struck a chord.
Over the past five years, the AIADMK has widely been seen by politicians, analysts, and sections of the public as failing to function as a strong Opposition, missing opportunities to capitalise on several issues.
Alliance building TVK government
Vijay framed the DMK and BJP as TVK's political and ideological adversaries, while largely avoiding acknowledgment of the AIADMK.
During the campaign, he remarked that the AIADMK had been effective under its founder M G Ramachandran and later under J Jayalalithaa -- implicitly suggesting that its current leadership falls short.
In the final tally, the DMK won 59 seats and AIADMK 47 seats with others sharing the balance.
A soft-spoken professional, Arokiasamy transitioned from public relations and image management into political strategy.
He holds a postgraduate degree in English Literature from St Joseph's College, Tiruchirappalli, and an MBA from the Loyola Institute of Business Administration.
He began his career in 2001 as an image manager at Perfect Relations, and later moved in 2005 to Good Relations India, where he rose to become Chief Operating Officer and Director.
In 2017, he ventured out independently, founding Persona Leadership Advisory Pvt Ltd, followed by JPACPersona, a political consulting firm.
In recent years, Arokiasamy has also worked as a brand consultant for AIADMK leader S P Velumani.
Venkatachari Jagannathan can be reached at venkatacharijagannathan@gmail.com