CHENNAI, April, 2026 — The Tamil Nadu Directorate of Government Examinations has received over 450 complaints after loud political campaigning by actor-turned-politician Joseph Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) severely disrupted Class 10 SSLC board examinations on Friday.
Students writing the Social Science paper in more than 80 centres across Madurai, Coimbatore, Salem and Tirunelveli districts reported that campaign vehicles fitted with high-decibel loudspeakers circled nearby roads from 9:30 am, coinciding exactly with the 10 am exam start. Campaign songs praising Vijay and live speeches from local TVK functionaries blasted through open windows and thin classroom walls, making concentration impossible.
“Every time the speaker said ‘Vijay is coming’, the entire hall echoed. I couldn’t even read the question paper properly,” said 15-year-old Priya from Government Girls Higher Secondary School, Madurai. Her classmate, Arun, added, “We had only 10 minutes of silence in three hours. Many of us left questions unanswered.”
School authorities said repeated requests to police and returning officers went unanswered until the exam ended. “We informed the district election officer at 9:45 am, but no action was taken,” claimed headmaster K. Rajendran of a Coimbatore centre. Parents gathered outside several schools demanding immediate cancellation and re-examination of the paper.
The SSLC exams, which began on March 25 and are scheduled to end on April 10, are being conducted in 2,872 centres for over 8.5 lakh students. Educationists warn that noise pollution on even one day can tilt the results of marginal students who depend on every mark for higher secondary admissions.
TVK state secretary S. Raja dismissed the allegations as “politically motivated”. “Our campaign vehicles were following Model Code of Conduct guidelines. We were nowhere near any exam centre. This is an attempt by rival parties to defame our leader,” he told reporters.
However, video clips circulating on social media clearly show TVK campaign vans with Vijay’s posters parked less than 200 metres from multiple examination halls. The Election Commission of India has now sought a detailed report from the Tamil Nadu Chief Electoral Officer and has directed district magistrates to ensure zero tolerance for noise violations during the remaining exam days.
State Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi said the government would examine all representations and “take appropriate action to safeguard students’ interests”. Opposition parties have demanded the postponement of the affected paper and stricter enforcement of silence zones around all 2,872 centres until April 10.