Actor-turned-politician Vijayakanth founded the Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK) party on September 14, 2005, in Madurai, Tamil Nadu, drawing a large crowd at its inaugural state conference. Known as 'Captain' from his film career, Vijayakanth transitioned into politics by organizing his fan base into a structured political outfit with various wings. At the launch, he outlined the party’s focus on basic amenities, corruption eradication, quality medical care, unemployment reduction, women’s reservation in assembly seats, maternity leave, caste-free society, and quality education. He also emphasized inter-state river water dispute resolution and cited M.G. Ramachandran as his political mentor. The party contested 232 of 234 seats in the 2006 Assembly elections, with Vijayakanth winning the Vriddachalam seat and the party securing 8.38% of the vote share. Despite initial promises, only 33% of tickets were allotted to women. The DMDK positioned itself as a standalone force, rejecting alliances for the 2006 elections and pledging to deliver ration items to people’s doorsteps if elected. (Updated 27 Aug 2025, 05:10 IST; source: link)