Even as the BJP’s Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi is all set to address the mammoth youth rally at Tiruchirappalli on Thursday, electoral scene in Tamil Nadu remains fluid and unclear. The only thing known to the general public is that the ruling AIADMK is leaving no stone unturned to ensure the victory of its candidates from all the 39 lok Sabha constituencies in Tamil Nadu and the lone seat in the union territory of Puducherry.
There were reports that DMDK, Congress and DMK would come together to form a rainbow alliance against the AIADMK. However, initiative in this regards is yet to be seen. As on date, only the Communists have expressed their willingness to be in the AIADMK fold for the election. But whether the AIADMK would allot them any seats is yet to be seen.
The DMK led by M Karunanidhi has patched up with the Congress with whom it had snapped its nine-year-old alliance briefly earlier this year on the Sri lankan Tamil issue. later events proved that the move by Karunanidhi was only for public consumption. The DMK chief had no qualms in pleading with the Congress leadership to cast their votes in favour of his daughter Kanimozhi in the Rajya Sabha election in June 2013. Since the Congress too is in a pretty bad shape in Tamil Nadu, the party has no other option but to be at the mercy of the DMK.
The Tamil Nadu BJP is yet to formulate a strategy for the lok Sabha elections. Though there were reports in a section of the media that talks
were on between the
BJP leaders and the DMDK for an alliance, senior BJP leader H Raja denied such ‘speculative reports’.
“We are open to accommodate anybody who accepts Modi’s prime ministership. But no discussions have taken place between BJP and other parties in the State,” said Raja. He said political contours in the State would undergo a gradual transformation after Thursday’s meeting at Tiruchirappalli.
The MDMK led by Vaiko could be a potential BJP ally, according to another BJP leader who did not want his name to be quoted. ‘We were together from 1998 to 2004. We have not forgotten how Vaiko and his MDMK campaigned for the BJP candidates in the 2001 Assembly elections in Tamil Nadu though they were eased out of the NDA by Karunanidhi,” he said.
Yet another party which could make a difference in the fortunes of the BJP in Tamil Nadu is the Vanniyar dominated Pattali Makkal Katchi led by Ramdoss. The PMK too was a constituent of the NDA during 1998 to 2004. “We have very good personal relationship with Ramdoss,” said Raja.
“A realistic picture would be known only after Assembly elections of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chattisgargh and Delhi,” said a BJP leader.