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As Prime Minister Narendra Modi ramps up his campaigning in Tamil Nadu ahead of next year’s general elections, a political analyst has cautioned that making significant inroads in the Dravidian heartland will be no easy feat for the BJP despite the prime minister’s widespread popularity.
“Back then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi had toured Tamil Nadu a dozen times hoping to emerge as the second largest party after the DMK. However, the Congress got 27 seats and came behind the AIADMK Jayalalithaa faction,” said Narayan Swamy, a veteran Delhi-based analyst.
“No doubt Modi’s multiple campaigns will galvanize the BJP in Tamil Nadu, but the real game of emerging as a major force is not easy,” Swamy told reporters on Monday.
Modi has already held several rallies and roadshows in the southern state over the past few months as the BJP eyes a bigger footprint in a region dominated by Dravidian parties like the DMK and AIADMK. The prime minister’s hugely popular outreach could boost the BJP’s prospects, but Swamy feels the saffron party has an arduous task ahead.
“Modi is incredibly popular across India and his campaigns in Tamil Nadu will energize BJP workers and voters,” Swamy said. “However, the real game of winning a sizeable number of parliament seats from Tamil Nadu is not easy. The DMK and AIADMK have a tremendous hold.”
He added that the BJP’s success will hinge on its ability to forge alliances with regional parties and make inroads in rural areas which remain firmly with the Dravidian heavyweights. “But it would be unwise to underestimate Modi’s appeal which could still propel the BJP to new heights in the state,” Swamy cautioned.
The BJP had a miserable performance in Tamil Nadu in the 2019 general elections, winning just 4 of the state’s 39 parliamentary seats. It remains to be seen if Modi’s formidable campaign blitzkrieg can rewrite the party’s electoral fortunes in 2024.
