Vijay's admirers asked to back DMK by fan club chief

May 06 2016 : The Times of India (Chennai) Vijay's admirers asked to  back DMK by fan club  chief Shanmugasundaram J   Supported AIADMK in '11, But His Films Ran Into Trouble Later When elections are here, die hard fans of actors Rajinikanth and Vijay anxiously  wait to see if their icons come out with their stand.This time, `Illayathalapathy' Vijay  might not have declared his stand openly , but his fan clubs across the state have  received oral instructions from the state president to extend their support to the DMK.  In the 2014 election, his fans are said to have beefed up BJP's numbers following the  actor's diktat.Vijay and his father S A Chandrasekar supported the AIADMK in 2011 election at  a time when the film fraternity was alleging that Karunanidhi's family was trying to dominate the industry . But, in the last five years, many of his movies like `Puli', `Thalaiva' and `Thuppakki' ran into rough weather. Income tax officials conducted  a surprise check at Vijay's residence before the release of `Puli', in which the actor  takes on a queen possessed by an evil spirit to free the people of the kingdom. Vijay fans say the actor and his father felt slighted by the AIADMK. Given the multi-cornered fight in the upcoming elections, the support of the fans clubs that often stretch across the state can influence the outcome. “We have been  asked to vote for the DMK in the assembly election. We received communication from  state president Anand. Similar messages have been communicated to the registered  fan clubs across the state,“ said a district-level functionary of Vijay fans clubs in Vellore. Vellore District Vijay Fans Clubs president Velmurugan met DMK Vellore central district secretary and Anaicut candidate A P Nandhakumar on Wednesday. They  extended their  support to the party in the assembly election. “We along  with our family will vote for the DMK, but we will abstain  from campaigning,“ said one of Vijay's fans. Of the young voters in the age group of 18 to 35, 3% can be considered hardcore fans  of Vijay, said Sairam, a social media expert.“If Vijay gives an open statement, the fans  will vote for the party that he announces,“ he continued.By making his decision  informally , the `Theri' hero may have wanted to play it safe, just in case the poll  outcome went against his wishes, he said.