'I’m all alone, look at me mockingly' With that title song, Joseph Vijay swept up votes and became Chief Minister in the very first election he faced.
Whether it was before the election or after winning it, TVK general secretary N. Anand would unfailingly say at every meeting attended by party members, 'The structure of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam is made up of the fans who have worked hard in the fan clubs from the very beginning. So they will have priority and importance.'
But now that the party is in power, is that really happening? Half the people are pursing their lips in disbelief.
An incident that has taken place in Srivilliputhur can be described as a classic case of one pot of rice for one grain of rice.
A person who had been putting up posters as a Vijay fan ever since he came to know of him has now been left isolated at a time when the TVK is in power.
He stands alone with no position or responsibility, and a situation has arisen where even his circle of friends, and indeed his own family members, look at him with ridicule.
We spoke to sources in the Srivilliputhur TVK circle regarding this.
''Mari Selvam was the Virudhunagar Northwest district secretary. The Virudhunagar Northwest district comprises the Sivakasi and Tiruvilliputhur assembly constituencies.
During the election, Keerthana managed to get Sivakasi for herself. Since the Tiruvilliputhur constituency is a reserved constituency, Mari Selvam was unable to contest there.
So he was left in a position where he could not contest the assembly election. It is said that even then, Mari Selvam’s family was upset, wondering whether this was the reward for all the years of hard work.
Even after leadership was given to Karthik of Thiruvilliputhur and Keerthana of Sivakasi, Mariselvam accepted it and was ready to work for the election.
But neither Keerthana nor Karthik showed Mariselvam the respect he deserved. They didn’t even invite him when they went to file nominations for the election.
In this regard, it was said that Mariselvam had expressed his frustration to General Secretary Anand, and that Anand had told him they could talk after the election.
The election is over, and Keerthana has also become a minister. After becoming a minister, the situation has worsened compared to before. Keerthana does not consider Mariselvam, the district secretary, to be of any importance at all.
The party decided in the next few days to appoint the winning MLAs as district secretaries. Accordingly, when Keerthana was made in charge of Sivakasi, Sivakasi slipped out of Mari Selvam’s hands.
After that, the only one left in Mari Selvam’s hands was Srivilliputhur. With Virudhunagar Northwest reduced to just Srivilliputhur, Karthik, who won in Srivilliputhur, has begun targeting it.
It is in this context that Karthik is said to have now been announced as the district secretary for the Thiruvilliputhur constituency.
Even before the party officially makes the announcement, Karthik’s supporters have already started making a splash with posters and newspaper advertisements.

Local businessmen have been extending their congratulations to Karthik,
and posters congratulating Karthik as a fan, candidate, MLA, district secretary... can be seen here and there in Thiruvilliputhur.
So, Srivilliputhur, which was in Mariselvam’s hands, is gone too. Now they say Mariselvam is just a volunteer in TVK.
As far as we have found out, the party has not yet officially assigned responsibility to Karthik. But it seems Karthik has been lobbying to the extent that the news is appearing in newspapers.
We also spoke to some others in the constituency who still go around as Vijay fans today..
''Mari brother is really pitiful. At home itself, they keep asking in a very insulting way, ‘Have you been working like this all these years just for this?’ It’s not just him. There are many more people like him. What the general secretary said, that only those who came from the forum would get seats, is true enough. But the reality is different.
They say this same problem is happening in some districts, including Salem. The one who put up posters that day is being sidelined, while some who were in another party until yesterday are now enjoying positions here. Even Karthik’s PA came from AIADMK. If it goes on like this, it won’t be good for the party,'' they say.
We spoke with Mari Selvam.
''When Kirthana was given responsibility in Sivakasi, they announced it only after informing me. Now I think Karthik’s supporters are saying that he is the Virudhunagar district secretary. The party hasn’t spoken to me about this at all. I believe that for any announcement, they will speak to me first in my capacity as district secretary and then make it,'' he says.
Those who loved actor Vijay and spent their own money on him without any expectations were his fans. Abandoning them would not be good for the party in its early days. Will Chief Minister Vijay take note of this?
