In a significant setback for Tamil actor Vijay's political party, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), the party's candidate for the Edappadi assembly seat, M. Arun Kumar, was disqualified during the nomination scrutiny. The Returning Officer, P. Natarajan, rejected Arun Kumar's nomination papers because they lacked the required 10 proposers, containing only 7 signatures. This disqualification has not only impacted TVK's image but also highlighted organizational issues at a critical time for the party's electoral debut. Following the rejection, Arun Kumar reportedly went missing, prompting protests from TVK workers who alleged he had been kidnapped. The situation escalated until police assured the party that efforts were being made to locate him. The Edappadi constituency is a stronghold for AIADMK leader Edappadi K. Palaniswami, who has won the seat three times since 2011. Both the ruling DMK and TVK aimed to challenge him, with DMK candidate C. Kashi facing a brief hurdle in his nomination process as well.