E-Paper
AIADMK, BJP try to woo regional parties
The AIADMK and BJP in Tamil Nadu are seeking alliances with regional parties after their split, making it a three-cornered contest in the state. The AIADMK and BJP had formed a coalition for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, but the DMDK exited ahead of the 2021 assembly elections. The largest ally in the coalition, PMK, will decide on the alliance in a meeting on February 1. The BJP has been exploring the option of uniting with the expelled trio of O Panneerselvam, TTV Dhinakaran, and V K Sasikala. The BJP's national party leader is expected to visit Tamil Nadu on February 11.
After their split in September last year, the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) and the Bharatiya Janata Party, are trying to woo other regional parties in Tamil Nadu.
The split has also made it a three-cornered contest in Tamil Nadu as the DMK and its main ally Congress and others in the Secular Progressive Alliance are part of the INDIA bloc.
The AIADMK and BJP came together ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections with the former leading the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in Tamil Nadu with a coalition of parties -- Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK), Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK), Tamil Maanila Congress (TMC) and smaller parties, such as the Puthiya Tamizhagam (PT) and Puthiya Needhi Katchi. The DMDK exited the NDA ahead of the 2021 assembly elections unhappy over seat allocation.
The largest ally in the NDA is PMK which has chosen to keep its options open. PMK’s general body will meet on February 1 in Chennai. “One of the resolutions to be passed in the meeting will be to make the top leaders to decide on the alliance,” said a PMK leader on condition of anonymity.
PMK chief and former Union health minister Anbumani Ramadoss had last July said that they are in the NDA at the Centre without specifying about their stance in Tamil Nadu. With AIADMK’s exit, the PMK leader quoted above said that now they will be in demand by AIADMK and the BJP.
AIADMK’s seat sharing committee held its first meeting on Monday without the presence of any alliance partners. “We are in touch with our allies. We had to have a consultative meeting amongst ourselves first,” an AIADMK leader said not wishing to be named. The AIADMK bas said they will face the election without a prime minister face. “We will expose those who ignore and betray the interests of the state. We will expose the BJP too,” D Jayakumar, organising secretary of the AIADMK told reporters on Monday after the seat sharing committees meeting.
Since the 2021 elections, the BJP has been exploring the option of uniting the expelled trio of O Panneerselvam, TTV Dhinakaran (who founded Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam) and V K Sasikala. With their caste-based vote bank in southern Tamil Nadu, the BJP had wanted them to be brought back to strengthen the NDA, but AIADMK general secretary EPS was firm to not allow that. Now, OPS and Dhinakaran have already joined hands, hoping to find a space in the NDA.
Meanwhile, the BJP unit in Tamil Nadu has remained tight lipped on alliances and the AIADMK leaving them, saying that the central leadership will make announcements on the matter. BJP national party leader J P Nadda is said to come to Tamil Nadu on February 11 to kickstart the process. “We are not too fussed about who would remain with us and who would leave. None of the NDA allies have announced their decision. The BJP will face the elections and accommodate like-minded parties who want to be part of the NDA and we can say everyone wants to be with the NDA,” a BJP leader said.
In 2019, when the AIADMK joined hands with NDA, out of 39 parliamentary seats, the party contested in 20, PMK in 7, BJP in 5, DMDK in 4 and Puthiya Tamizhagam (PT), Tamil Maanila Congress (TMC) and Puthiya Needhi Katchi in one each. The opposition DMK swept the polls winning 38 seats leaving the AIADMK with only one seat in Theni to AIADMK’s O P Ravindranath who along with his father OPS was expelled from the party.
In the 2021 elections, the DMDK walked out of the alliance, but the remaining allies were intact. BJP entered the Tamil Nadu assembly for the first time in 20 years. BJP won four of the 20 seats it contested in the state and one of the legislators, Nainar Nagendran had joined from the AIADMK affirming the opinion of the Dravidian major that they contributed to the national party’s performance.
AIADMK’s internal assessment has consistently shown that being with the BJP is a baggage particularly because of alienating Tamil Nadu’s minorities. They have also lost every election since AIADMK’s supremo J Jayalalithaa’s death in 2016 December –the 2019 parliamentary polls, 2021 assembly elections and 2022 local body elections. The ruling DMK’s Secular Progressive Alliance has swept each of these elections and they will face parliamentary polls in the INDIA bloc.
