Overcoming last minute hitches, the BJP on Thursday formally stitched an alliance with DMDK, PMK, MDMK and two local parties KMDK and IJK in Tamil Nadu. Vijayakanth’s DMDK will contest 14 seats while Ramadoss’ PMK and BJP eight seats each. Vaiko-led MDMK will fight from seven constituencies and KMDK and IJK from one each.
The BJP insiders said there were some hiccups regarding Salem seat between the DMDK and the PMK but was sorted out to the satisfaction of all in the presence of the BJP chief Rajnath Singh, who later announced the alliance and seats.
Singh described the coming together of these parties as a historical moment for the entire country. “All these parties have come together with the purpose of ending the decade-long misrule of the UPA and to make Narendra Modi the Prime Minister of the country. We are sure to win 25 out of the 39 seats at stake from Tamil Nadu,” Singh said.
“This is the first-of-its-kind grand alliance in the political history of Tamil Nadu without either the AIADMK or the DMK,” Tamilaruvi Manian, a former Congress leader in the State who played a major role in forging the alliance, told The Pioneer.
The DMDK, led by actor-turned-politician Vijayakanth, had cornered 10.3 per cent of the total votes polled in the 2009 lok Sabha election from Tamil Nadu.
It has strong presence in constituencies in northern and central Tamil Nadu. Interestingly, in the 2009 lok Sabha election from Tamil Nadu, in 26 constituencies, the BJP and the DMDK polled more votes together than the margin between the winner and the runner up. The two together polled 12.5 per cent of the total votes.
Both the PMK and the MDMK were allies of the AIADMK in the 2009 lok Sabha election. The PMK is a Vanniyar dominated party and is strong in northern and central Tamil Nadu. The MDMK, led by Vaiko, had polled 3.7 per cent votes and has strong presence in southern Tamil Nadu.
The Indian Jananayaga Kachi led by educationist Patchamuthu is contesting the election for the first time. It has pockets of influence in constituencies like Kallarkurichi and Perambalur. Similarly, Kongunadu Munnetra Kazhagam is an outfit floated by the Gaunders, a powerful caste in western Tamil Nadu. All these factors together with the Modi wave is expected to yield good result for the NDA in Tamil Nadu, according to Manian.
A popular political weekly in Tamil Nadu has found in their opinion poll that the BJP-led front including the DMDK, the PMK, the MDMK would corner 32.4 per cent votes in the upcoming election while the AIADMK led front would come first with 34.2 per cent. The weekly also found that the DMK would finish a poor third behind the BJP-led front.