Four States, which are crucial for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), will go to the polls next year almost simultaneously around April-May. West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry all these States are governed by BJP’s opposition parties except in Tamil Nadu where the ruling All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) is in alliance with the BJP.
The AIADMK’s alliance with the BJP would continue in the 2021 Assembly Elections, Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami and Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam categorically declared in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah at a government function in Chennai, organised to launch projects worth Rs 67,758 crore in Tamil Nadu, on Saturday. The ‘Chanakya’ of BJP, Amit Shah, visited Tamil Nadu to do a litmus test and see for himself his party’s prospects in the State for the upcoming State elections.
The two-day visit of Amit Shah saw that breaking protocol, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister E Palaniswami along with his deputy O Panneerselvam, senior cabinet members and BJP state chief L Murugan were also among those who received him and who was given a grand welcome at the airport on Saturday. In fact Shah got out of his vehicle and made an unscheduled walk on the busy road outside the airport to greet supporters.
During his stay Shah held a meeting with State party members at a private hotel to discuss political strategy for the upcoming polls. In his one-and-a-half-hour meeting with over 200 party members, Shah cited examples of how the BJP made inroads in States like Tripura and Bihar and expressed his confidence that the same formula could work in States like Tamil Nadu. However, in Tamil Nadu it may not be easy to replicate the same formula. BJP is now trying to get a foothold in the State hoping to get a cine-star support so that the party could play a more serious role in 2026 State elections.
The Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly elections are to be held in April-May 2021 for the 234 seats of the Legislative Assembly. BJP, which does not have a single legislative member in the State Assembly, made its foray into Tamil Nadu politics after the sudden demise of the late CM Jayalalitha in December 2016, that saw a major political upheaval in the State.
In August this year the Tamil Nadu unit of the BJP had promised an Innova car to its district functionaries if they manage victory for the party’s MLA candidates in the 2021 assembly polls. State unit president L Murugan is learnt to have said this in a consultative meeting of the party held via a video conference, suggesting that friction between the parties even though the BJP has maintained that the alliance with the AIADMK continues.
In fact, the Tamil Nadu political arena has always been studded with stars from the world of cinema. Five out of seven chief ministers from Dravidian parties were actively involved in Tamil cinema either as writers or as actors. MG Ramachandran, Jayalalitha have been the most talked about cine-star turned politicians. The legacy of politics in Tamil filmdom still continues, though less prominently than in the 1950s to 1970s. Movies produced by the DMK Party have received severe censorship from the then ruling Congress government at the Centre. According to Murasoli Maran, a former Union Minister from DMK, the censors would remove parts of the movies, so that the coherence of the screen play was lost, making the movies a box office failure. It clearly shows that the electorate in Tamil Nadu is impacted by the silver screen actors. The scenario will become more interesting if the actors turn in to politicians.
As late as 2017 we have also seen two super stars taking a plunge in the field of politics. While Kamala Hassan and Rajnikanth in play, the latter seems to be more serious. However, Rajnikanth still has his cards very close to his chest. With the elections barely five months away, both these super stars will have to reveal their leanings and come out in open. In fact, they may even like to go it alone which will upset many apple carts. Their moves are being closely watched in the political circles as it has a major potential to move the Tamil Nadu electorate. All parties, including the BJP, would like Rajnikanth to be at their side.
