The BJP's southward march

One reason the Congress went all out in its defence of Karnataka was to essentially to prevent the BJP from making inroads into the south. The electoral victory in Karnataka, and given how well the BJP has done in the ‘Hyderabad Karnataka’ region where Telugu speakers have significant numbers and also N Chandrababu Naidu’s sudden turn towards minority voters, the fact is that the Telugu Desam is scared that they are next. At the same time expect the violence between the BJP-RSS and Communist cadres in Kerala to dramatically shoot up as well as the Cauvery issue to flare up in Tamil Nadu as regional parties try to protect their turf from the BJP.

Each state is different. That we know, even within states there are linguistic and caste differences and even within what we assume to be monolithic caste-blocs, there are differences. Somehow Narendra Modi has managed to bridge those differences through his appeal and through Amit Shah, the Bharatiya Janata Party has built a truly multi-caste and multi-cultural organisation. This should have the southern regional parties worried ahead of the 2019 elections, because Karnataka was a waterproof bulkhead protecting the south from the saffron surge. It has been breached and no matter what happens this winter where the BJP is expected to lose at least one large northern state, they can potentially now make the south a fortress.