Chennai, April 29 (IANS) Actor-politician Joseph Vijay, founder of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), departed for Shirdi on Wednesday, a day after he visited the Thiruchendur temple, continuing his spiritual engagements following the conclusion of polling in the 2026 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election.

Vijay left from his Neelankarai residence in Chennai and proceeded to the airport, where he boarded a private flight from the old terminal at around 11.10 a.m. on Wednesday. He is scheduled to offer prayers at the renowned Sai Baba Temple and is expected to return to Chennai either late Wednesday night or early Thursday morning.

The Shirdi trip comes immediately after he visited the Tiruchendur Murugan Temple on Tuesday, where he took part in the early morning ‘Viswaroopa Darshan’.

The temple visit had drawn large crowds and significant public attention, with supporters gathering in large numbers to catch a glimpse of the actor-turned-politician.

Tamil Nadu went to the polls in a single phase on April 23 across all 234 Assembly constituencies, marking one of the most closely watched elections in recent years.

With polling over, several political leaders have stepped back briefly from public engagements ahead of the counting of votes scheduled for May 4.

Vijay’s temple visits are being seen as part of a broader personal and symbolic outreach following his first major electoral test as a political leader.

The Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam contested multiple seats in the Assembly elections, marking Vijay’s formal entry into electoral politics after years of speculation.

Observers point out that such spiritual visits often carry political undertones in Tamil Nadu’s socio-political landscape, where religion and public life are closely intertwined.

Vijay’s movements since polling day have been closely tracked, reflecting the heightened interest surrounding his political trajectory.

As the state awaits the results, Vijay’s back-to-back temple visits — first to Tiruchendur and now to Shirdi — highlight a brief pause from active politics while maintaining public visibility during the post-poll period.

–IANS

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