Painting the town beige & white on poll day

CHENNAI: On any other day, beige would be a shade that fades into the background. On Thursday, however, it was a colour that stood out.As polling got underway, men and women across Tamil Nadu turned up at booths in white shirts paired with beige pants. What has been the signature style of TVK founder Vijay ever since he stepped into the political arena became the unsaid ‘dress code’ among his supporters on voting day.“I wore beige and white so everyone knows who I am backing,” said Rupa Lakshmi, a first-time voter in Chennai. Uncomfortable wearing a shirt, Sunitha M showed up in a white kurta paired with beige pants and a dupatta. “I didn’t want to be left out.”The look has been trending for days, with content creators promoting the look as ‘outfit inspo for poll day’.Colour-coded political expression has been part of the culture in the state for decades.DMK loyalists are often associated with black and red, while VCK supporters usually go for blue. Now, TVK’s beige has added a whole new shade to the political spectrum.Which begs the question — why were DMK’s MK Stalin, and BJP’s K Annamalai also seen in white and beige?