The stage is set for the second State conference of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) at Parapathi on the Madurai-Thoothukudi Highway on Thursday.

Huge cut-outs of DMK founder C.N. Annadurai and AIADMK founder M.G. Ramachandran, along with that of TVK leader Vijay, who is due to address the conference, have been placed on the facade of the stage at the venue, decked up with red and yellow party flags.

Accompanying the cut-outs of the former Chief Ministers are the words, “Varalaru Thirumbukirathu” (History Repeats), and 1967 and 1977 — the years when the DMK and the AIADMK, respectively, had come to power in the State.

The mention of the year 2026 along with 1967 and 1977 is meant to underline the aspiration of the fledgling political party to capture power in Tamil Nadu at the next Assembly election.

Though Mr. Vijay has declared the DMK as a political enemy of the TVK, the cut-outs of Annadurai and MGR were surprisingly much larger than the smaller photographs of the party’s ideological mentors, Periyar E.V. Ramasamy, K. Kamaraj, B.R. Ambedkar, Rani Velu Nachiyar, and Anjalai Ammal.

With only about eight months to go for the Assembly election, the second State conference of the TVK has gained much significance. The meeting is expected to shed light on the line the party would toe while facing its first electoral battle against the ruling DMK-led multi-party front, the AIADMK-BJP alliance, and the Seeman-led Naam Tamilar Katchi.

Mr. Vijay has already said the TVK would keep both the DMK and the BJP, its ideological enemy, at an equal distance. The party high-command would also use the opportunity to keep the spirits of the cadre high, as no political party has come forward to ally with the TVK even after the actor had expressed willingness to form an alliance with like-minded parties and share power with them if he forms the next government.

The party has also made it clear that it would not compromise on its stand that Mr. Vijay would be the Chief Ministerial candidate.

This would be the first major public appearance for Mr. Vijay after the first party conference in Vikravandi in October 2024.

Meanwhile, the Madurai district police have planned to deploy around 2,700 personnel drawn from the southern districts to provide security for the conference, which is expected to witness the participation of around two lakh cadre.