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NEW DELHI: After dominating astir each the Hindi-speaking states successful the north, the Bharatiya Janata Party wanted to trial confederate waters — a portion wherever the enactment has historically struggled to summation ground.It planned enlargement successful Tamil Nadu, which has been nether the power of 2 Dravidian giants for decades — the DMK and the AIADMK.However, arsenic it turns out, the model that the BJP was looking for successful Tamil Nadu was occupied by actor-turned-politician Vijay, arsenic his enactment upended the governmental publication of the authorities by becoming the azygous largest enactment successful the Assembly elections.What went incorrect for BJP successful Tamil Nadu?Missing face: BJP’s enactment vacuumThe BJP lacked what TVK had successful abundance. While TVK rode connected Vijay’s popularity and megastar status, the BJP had nary arsenic fashionable person to trust connected for its predetermination run successful a authorities wherever cinema and authorities spell manus successful hand.
While speaking to The Times of India, governmental expert Kannan Rajarathinam said that the BJP needs to rebrand itself if it wants to marque immoderate inroads successful the authorities and requires a charismatic leader.Long earlier the polls, the BJP’s astir fashionable person successful the state, Annamalai, was pushed to the margins to revive ties with the AIADMK.Reportedly, Palaniswami had made the ouster of Annamalai a precondition up of confederation talks, fixed his relentless attacks connected the AIADMK.
Identity clash: North-South responsibility lines The three-language argumentation and delimitation determination besides wounded the BJP’s canvass prospects successful Tamil Nadu. Chief curate MK Stalin and the Centre engaged successful a standoff that reignited 1 of Tamil Nadu's astir politically charged responsibility lines.Narrative loss: TVK captures anti-DMK spaceMeanwhile, TVK positioned itself arsenic an alternate for voters undecided betwixt the DMK and the AIADMK-led NDA.It drew enactment from those unhappy with the DMK owed to anti-incumbency, arsenic good arsenic voters wary of the NDA implicit issues specified arsenic the north-south divide, the three-language policy, and the delimitation debate.“BJP should rebrand itself arsenic a Tamil-centric party, arsenic it did successful West Bengal by assimilating Bangla nationalism,” Kannan said."BJP has to fiercely reason the DMK and not polarise but go all-inclusive successful Tamil Nadu to triumph people's imagination," helium added.What if BJP had contested solo?In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP contested independently successful Tamil Nadu, without aligning with either the DMK oregon the AIADMK, and secured 11.24% of the ballot share.This marked the archetypal clip the enactment entered treble digits successful the authorities and was much than 3 times its show successful the erstwhile election.However, successful the consequent assembly elections, the BJP chose to state with the AIADMK and contested 27 seats, managing to triumph conscionable one.This highlights limitations of confederation politics, wherever seat-sharing tin restrict a party’s quality to broaden its scope and consolidate enactment crossed constituencies.Had the BJP contested each seats independently, it is apt that its ballot stock would person accrued further, adjacent if that did not instantly construe into a higher fig of seats.However, the 2026 predetermination has rewritten this long-standing narrative. The introduction of TVK, led by actor-turned-politician Vijay, has dramatically altered the state’s governmental equation. In its precise archetypal electoral outing, the enactment not lone made important inroads but besides secured victory, ending the 59-year dominance of Dravidian parties.Meanwhile, TVK has followed successful the footsteps of parties specified arsenic the Aam Aadmi Party, the Asom Gana Parishad, and the Telugu Desam Party successful moving to signifier the authorities aft its precise archetypal electoral outing.According to the Election Commission website, TVK was starring successful 107 seats, the ruling DMK successful 58 seats, and the AIADMK successful 51. The bulk people successful the Tamil Nadu Assembly polls is 118.
