Coimbatore: Vanathi Srinivasan on Sunday took a swipe at actor-turned-politician Vijay, saying that “no one can believe that Vijay will stand alone and form a government.”

Her remarks came amid political reactions to the series of promises announced by Vijay at an event organised by his party, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), during a Women’s Day function held in Mamallapuram on Saturday. At the programme, the TVK chief unveiled several election promises aimed at women, drawing responses from leaders across political parties.

Speaking to reporters in Coimbatore, the Bharatiya Janata Party MLA said that making promises ahead of elections has always been a routine practice in politics.

“Just as Vijay releases Pongal special and Deepavali special films in cinema, he has now made Women’s Day special announcements,” she said, referring to the TVK leader’s list of welfare promises for women.

According to Srinivasan, all political parties usually make electoral commitments before polls, and therefore such announcements are not unusual. However, she questioned whether a newly formed political party offering such a large number of promises would realistically come to power.

“If a newly launched political party distributes promises in such abundance, people will naturally wonder whether it actually has a chance to come to power,” she said.

The BJP legislator also expressed scepticism about TVK’s prospects of forming a government on its own.

“Moreover, no one can believe that Vijay will stand alone and form a government. Will Vijay’s party capture power independently and form a government? Certainly not,” she said.

At the same time, Srinivasan said she welcomed the increasing focus on women in political manifestos and campaign pledges.

“In the past, women were seen merely as voters. Today, women have become a decisive force that determines political power. One can understand this from the way political parties are now running to announce promises for women,” she said.

Her remarks come as parties across Tamil Nadu sharpen their political messaging ahead of the next electoral cycle, with welfare commitments for women emerging as a key theme in campaign narratives, particularly around events such as International Women's Day.