From just seven states in 2014 to 17 in 2022, the BJP’s footprint has grown beyond traditional strongholds to conquer new forts like the Northeast. But breaking the Vindhya wall has been difficult so far. In this special series on the BJP’s penultimate pitch, News18 takes a look at the saffron party’s renewed effort for electoral success in five southern states of India.
In Part 2 of the series, we chart the interesting trajectory of the BJP Tamil Nadu Because it tries to repair its emotional connect with the people while dealing with an unlikely ally in the AIADMK.
Picture of Amit Shah holding Tamil Nadu BJP President firmly K AnnamalaiThe raising of hands in the air during a public rally is a clear reflection of the confidence the party has gained in recent months.
Its run alone in the local body elections without the support of ally AIADMK has given the party a much needed blow. Senior leaders attribute the BJP’s “profitable” performance in the February 2022 local body elections to the organizational skills of the central and state leadership who worked together to make a definite mark.
AIADMK and DMK have given rise to institutional corruption by giving free gifts and playing with emotions.
Annamalai called it the “lotus blossom” moment of the BJP, which declared to the state, which has been ruled by Dravidian parties for decades, that the BJP has indeed arrived.
After winning four seats in the 2021 assembly elections following a seat-sharing arrangement with the AIADMK, the BJP’s performance in the recent urban civic polls further pleased the central leadership. The BJP contested 1,374 corporation wards, 2,843 municipal wards and 7,621 nagar panchayat seats and won a total of 308 seats with 5.4% vote share.
Challenge: Emotional Connectivity
But the challenges are many. BJP leaders agree that their cadre in Tamil Nadu is not strong enough right now. The biggest challenge is “connecting with people”, BJP national general secretary CT Ravi told News18.com.
“People are emotionally attached to their parties. But the challenge before us is that in the last six decades both the DMK and the AIADMK have played emotional games with their voters. They have given rise to institutional corruption by giving free gifts and playing with emotions. There is a huge gap between rich and poor and six decades of sentimentality tyrant There has also been something done by both the sides that we are dealing with,” Ravi said.
“We have a plan. We are looking forward to become the choice for the people in the next assembly elections. The three ‘S’ are important – serve the people, continue our struggle to provide good governance and then win hearts and seats. , “They said.
War and Peace with AIADMK
It was the 2021 assembly elections that changed things for the BJP. The election was crucial for both AIADMK and DMK as it was fought in the absence of their respective chiefs J Jayalalithaa and M Karunanidhi. The demise of both the leaders has opened a void which the BJP is trying to fill.
With the demise of the then Chief Minister and AIADMK supremo Jayalalithaa in 2016, the BJP-AIADMK alliance gradually began to fall apart. The internal strife and factionalism in the AIADMK gave the BJP ample opportunity to prepare itself as an alternative.
The impact of the results can be seen in Tamil Nadu as well in UP, Uttarakhand, Manipur and Goa. the tides are turning in our favor
With the AIADMK’s dismal defeat to its rival DMK in the 2021 assembly elections, where it won 75 out of 234 seats, the BJP saw it as an opportune time to build its image as the third major contender in the electoral race.
Despite winning twice at the center of the Modi-Shah combination, the Modi wave had the least impact in Tamil Nadu. BJP’s biggest liability has been its tag of being a ‘supporter of Hindutva’ and being its party. Hindi belt. The BJP and its ally have clashed over an important related issue – the three-language policy advocating teaching Hindi as a second language in non-Hindi speaking states.
Ravi, who was also the BJP in-charge for Tamil Nadu in the 2021 elections, feels the party has emerged third in the recent local body polls, but there is a long way to go to reach that milestone. number one position
“Many people are joining BJP from other parties and Tamil Nadu is one of the top states where we have seen such a change. In the next four to five years, we will be in a position to lead.
A senior BJP leader told News18.com that for many years the AIADMK was confident that the BJP would not survive without their support.
“They wanted to have us as the last push that would help them get to the finishing line. But it seems to be a mistake as the BJP has slowly but steadily built up its base and credibility. The impact of the results in UP, Uttarakhand, Manipur and Goa can be felt in this southern state as well. The tides are turning in our favor,” the leader said.
BJP party leaders realize that AIADMK’s hot-blow-cold strategy can damage their growth story.
An example is the stand taken by the AIADMK when the BJP decided to launch its much publicized ‘Vel Yatra’ in 2020. The state BJP unit, led by the then President L Murugan, organized a month-long event. Travel The purpose of which was to cover the six abodes of Lord Murugan. Travel It was to conclude on December 6, the anniversary of the demolition of the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya.
The strategy was multi-pronged – to gain a foothold and understand the ground reality of how people react to the BJP, send a veiled message to ally AIADMK that they are not considered “junior partners” and finally test the waters for the party. To fight with myself.
AIADMK did not take it well. Edappadi Palaniswami government refused permission for Travel, citing fears of a second wave of Kovid-19. But BJP leaders from Tamil Nadu were determined to prove to the central leadership that the party has a hold in the southern state, despite its ally playing poorly.
The BJP defied the ban imposed by the government and tried to continue with its mission. What irritated the AIADMK were two more incidents. One was when the Tamil Nadu BJP included a picture of the late MG Radhakrishnan (MGR), the founder of AIADMK, in a campaign video. Another was wrapping a saffron shawl over the statue of MGR. Both the instances were seen as an attempt to ‘saffron’ MGR and AIADMK.
“We are two parties with different ideologies and different roots. We’re together on issues we agree on, whether it’s triple Divorce, Citizenship Amendment Act or Agriculture Act. They (BJP) should not forget our support on such important issues.
Growth Chart of BJP in Tamil Nadu
The BJP in Tamil Nadu has had an interesting trajectory over the years, but its first foray into the south was through neighboring Karnataka in 2008 when BS Yediyurappa came to power with a thumping majority.
The RSS and the Bharatiya Jana Sangh have been present in Tamil Nadu since the mid-90s, but their presence has been weak. Both faced the challenge of acceptance and lack of organization. The RSS, BJS and now the BJP have to face the challenge of being anti-Dravidian, pro-Hindu and pro-Hindi.
BJP state president Annamalai told News18.com that the party believes that Dravidism is about social justice and taking everyone along. “It is not about Brahmin bashing, OBC bashing or being anti-Hindu. Dravidism is about empowering all sections of the society, as it has been doing for over 350 years,” he said.
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Interestingly, the first president of Bharatiya Jana Sangh in Tamil Nadu was Dr VK John, who was a Christian. John was the party’s first MLC and Deputy Leader of the Opposition in 1953, and was instrumental in building up the party’s cadre.
Speaking to News18.com about Jana Sangh’s ground work in Tamil Nadu since the early nineties, several BJP leaders explained how the saffron party had won seats in the state in early 1996, but the vote share percentage remained stagnant over the years. Stayed.
“Massive membership drives were conducted and Jana Sangh set up their units to build their cadre base in Coimbatore, Trichy, Krishnagiri, Ramanathapuram, Salem, Kanyakumari and elsewhere. However, there was resistance as the party was seen as a North Indian, anti-Tamil, pro-Hindutva party largely run by Brahmins. This tag was put up by the opposition and the party was hurt at that time,” said a BJP leader.
However, the RSS gradually began to build its base in areas such as Ramanathapuram and Kanyakumari and helped the BJP bag seats once in a while.
In 1996, C Velayadham was the first BJP MLA to be elected to the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly from the Padmanabhapuram constituency. This was followed by the BJP winning four seats in 2001 – H Raja (Karaikudi), J Veerapandian (Mayiladuthurai), KN Lakshmanan (Mylapore) and KV Muraleedharan (Thalli). The vote percentage of BJP in that election was 3.2 percent. In 2006 and 2011, the party contested alone and secured a vacant seat, yet managed to maintain its vote percentage of around 2%.
While DMK and AIADMK have an electoral pact with the BJP till 2004, it was only in 2019 that the AIADMK decided to join hands with it to contest the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Till then, the Modi-Shah juggernaut at the Center has shown some effect in Tamil Nadu as well. The fall of the Congress also played an important role in paving the way for the BJP. The alliance with AIADMK continued in the 2021 assembly elections as well.
Along with AIADMK and DMK, BJP is now one of the parties with high visibility in the media in Tamil Nadu. While the party has been inducting many celebrities and even big faces from other parties, BJP spokespersons on Tamil news channels have become a regular fixture over the past two years.
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