₹1 lakh crore bill and counting: How much will superstar Vijay’s poll promises cost Tamil Nadu?

Superstar-turned-politician Vijay wants to run Tamil Nadu as its Jana Nayagan. But can Tamil Nadu afford Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK)’s promises? His manifesto reads like a wish list: free electricity, loan waivers, monthly cash for women, and job schemes for the young. Sounds great in campaign speeches, but add it all up, and you’re looking at a bill of more than ₹1 lakh crore for the exchequer. 

Tamil Nadu, a state already carrying a significant debt burden, may struggle to honour even a fraction of these pledges without serious economic consequences. A deep dive into the numbers, the promises, and the political reality behind India’s most-watched state election debut.

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Here’s how much Vijay’s poll promises could cost Tamil Nadu

In his manifesto, Thalapathy Vijay promised direct benefit transfers to 1.57 crore women, amounting to ₹2,500 per month. This could cost the Tamil Nadu government ₹47,100 crore annually, The Indian Express reported.

He promised to provide farmer income support worth ₹15,000 per year to 79.4 lakh landholding farmers at a cost of ₹11,910 crore to the exchequer. He also promised to provide 6 LPG cylinders to 1.85 crore households free of cost, at a cost of ₹9,990 crore per year to the exchequer. 

He also promised labourer support worth ₹10,000 per year to 96 lakh farm labourers at an annual cost of ₹9,600 crore to the state government. 

Besides this, he promised to provide mother/guardian school grant worth ₹15,000 per year to 56.25 lakh beneficiaries in government schools, costing the state government ₹8,438 crore annually. 

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The TVK’s manifesto mentions a youth internship stipend for 5 lakh youngsters, of which graduates will get ₹10,000 per month, and ITI/diploma holders will get ₹8,000 per month. This is expected to cost the Tamil Nadu government ₹5,400 crore on an annual basis. 

Vijay’s manifesto also mentions an unemployment grant of ₹4,000 per month for 10 lakh people, costing the exchequer ₹4,800 crore annually. He promised a health-insurance top-up to 1.5 crore families, taking the total premium from ₹849 to ₹1,698. 

Furthermore, he promised financial support worth ₹27,000 per year to 2.02 lakh families involved in fishing at a cost of ₹545 crore to the state exchequer. 

To put it into perspective, the new government’s poll promises would cost around ₹1 lakh crore to the state, a spike of over 52% from the ₹65,000 crore spent by the MK Stalin-led DMK government on welfare schemes and subsidies in 2025-26. 

Tamil Nadu’s revenue receipts for Budget 2025-26 stand at ₹3.31 lakh crore, with TVK’s proposed welfare spending comprising 29.8% of revenue receipts compared to DMK’s 19.7%.