The Election Commission on Thursday allotted the whistle as the common election symbol for Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), clearing the party’s request to contest all 234 seats in the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections under a single symbol. (News18 Tamil)

TVK had approached the Commission seeking a common symbol and, in its application, listed 10 preferred options, including the whistle, auto, cricket bat, champion trophy and microphone. The whistle has now been formally approved as the party’s election symbol. (News18 Telugu)

Within TVK, the allotment is being seen as part of a broader continuity around the letter ‘V’, from Vijay and Vikravandi to V Road and now the whistle, reinforcing the party’s branding and identity. Traditionally, the whistle symbol has largely been allotted to independent candidates and has been a familiar presence not only in Assembly elections but also in local body polls. (News18 Tamil)

In 2009, retired IAS officer Jayaprakash Narayanan launched the Lok Satta Party at the national level with the whistle as its symbol. Prior to its formal entry into electoral politics, the Aam Aadmi Party had also widely used the whistle as a symbol of protest and mobilisation. In Tamil Nadu, the Election Commission had allotted the whistle to the Gandhian People’s Movement led by Tamilaruvi Manian during the 2016 Assembly elections. Notably, Tamilaruvi Manian has since merged his party with TVK. (News18 Tamil)

Adding to the symbolism are earlier electoral contests involving two Tamil film actors closely associated with Vijay, both of whom had contested using the whistle symbol. The late comedian Mayilsamy, who shared screen space with Vijay in films such as Nerukku Ner, Ghilli and Sachin, contested as an independent candidate from the Virugambakkam constituency in the 2021 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections. He was allotted the whistle symbol and secured 1,440 votes. (News18 Tamil)

Actor Prakash Raj, another frequent collaborator of Vijay from Ghilli to the upcoming Jana Nayagan, also contested with the whistle symbol. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Prakash Raj entered the fray as an independent candidate from the Bengaluru Central constituency and polled 28,906 votes. (News18 Tamil)