BJP in evaluate mode after Tamil Nadu loss
NEW DELHI: The shortage of a well-liked face, failure to barter a pre-poll alliance with actor and now chief minister Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) and the cadre’s lack of ability to place up a collective combat in opposition to the opposition have been recognized as the important thing causes for the Bharatiya Janata Celebration’s dismal efficiency in Tamil Nadu, mentioned individuals conscious of the main points.
These particulars have been shared with the celebration’s prime brass, which is about to chair a gathering to evaluate the celebration’s efficiency, adopted by a rejig within the state’s organisational setup, individuals conscious of the main points mentioned. They added {that a} part of leaders within the celebration feels the management didn’t recognise Vijay’s recognition and consequently didn’t pursue the alliance critically.
Though Vijay attacked each the BJP and its ally the AIADMK in his election rallies, there had been speak of forming a bigger entrance in opposition to the ruling DMK. “There have been some conferences between a TVK common secretary and senior BJP leaders in Delhi concerning the potential of an alliance, but it surely didn’t fructify and the AIADMK, too, was not completely on board. The opposite mistake was that the NDA alliance felt Vijay’s recognition, as evident from the rallies and so on., wouldn’t translate into votes,” mentioned one BJP chief. The concept was to incorporate events such because the TVK, PMK, AMMK (Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam), and expelled AIADMK leaders VK Sasikala, O Paneersalvam and others to kind a grand alliance.
The chief mentioned the BJP didn’t anticipate the assist TVK had among the many youth—the 18-30 age group—that propelled Vijay to victory .
“There was a common notion that the TVK, which lacked a powerful cadre just like the DMK and AIADMK, would find yourself consuming into the DMK’s vote share however wouldn’t win sufficient seats to be within the race for forming authorities,” mentioned a second BJP celebration chief.
Whereas the TVK walked away with 108 seats and 34.92% of the votes, the BJP received a single seat (down from the earlier 4) with a vote share of two.97% (marginally up from the earlier 2.67%) and the AIADMK received 47 seats with a vote share of 21.21%.
The BJP, which contested the meeting elections as a junior associate of the AIADMK, fielded contestants on 33 of the 234 seats.
Two different celebration functionaries mentioned the celebration’s cadre being “weak and disunited” contributed to the loss and the reliance on the AIADMK additionally didn’t bode effectively for the celebration. “The AIADMK itself was going through challenges after the dying of J Jayalalithaa; it broke into factions and E Palaniswami shouldn’t be a face that Tamil Nadu voters recognise,” mentioned considered one of them.
A fifth BJP chief concurred that voters within the state want leaders with a “cult-like” following.
“That is the state the place (former CMs) MG Ramachandran, Karunanidhi and Jayalalitha had been bigger than life. Persona dominates politics on the bottom and a frontrunner who has a linguistic, cultural and emotional reference to the lots has a greater probability. There have been exceptions too, like Kamal Haasan…so, the BJP might want to give attention to discovering and selling a face that resonates with the lots.”
Haasan who’s now a Rajya Sabha MP floated the MNM, which did not win a single seat within the 2021 Lok Sabha and meeting polls, and he himself misplaced to BJP’s Vanathi Srinivasan.
The variations between the state unit leaders and the disagreement between the previous state president Okay Annamali and the AIADMK which led to the 2 allies falling aside briefly in 2023 have additionally been flagged.
The BJP modified the state president in an effort to mollify Palaniswami , however cadres of each events had been circumspect in regards to the longevity of the alliance even after the 2 sides reunited forward of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
“Factionalism proved expensive for the BJP. As a substitute of collectively combating, our cadre appeared to have given up. There’s a want for an overhaul of the celebration unit and we’re hopeful that the central management will take inventory of the state of affairs and draft a brand new plan for the Southern states, significantly Tamil Nadu,” mentioned the fifth chief.
