Chennai: BJP Ahead of Others in Starting Campaign Activities

 Chennai: The BJP, which is now heading a coalition of its own in the State to fight the Lok Sabha polls, has started in right earnest its electioneering work, including the preparations for the campaign, ahead of the other two major alliances, one led by the ruling DMK in the State and the other by the AIADMK, even before the announcement for the polls has been made by the Election Commission of India.

The BJP has already started painting its symbol and slogans on public walls and also booking space in the walls. Many walls in localities like Villivakkam, Purasawalkam and Nungambakkam and so on have been painted with the election messages and some walls sport border lines with BJP’s name painted to signify that the space has been reserved by the party.

The national party, which is entering the fray with the support of only the Tamil Maanila Congress (TMC) and insignificant parties like the India Jananayaka Katchi and Puthiya Needhi Katchi, has already opened an exclusive election office at Aminjikarai with elaborate facilities while the DMK and AIADMK are still functioning from their official headquarters.

Though the State BJP, too, has its own headquarters, Kamalalyam, in T Nagar, it has shifted its election related work, which have they have already kick started, to the new premises, where it is claimed that all details relating to the elections in all the 39 constituencies in the State would be available as several persons have been assigned to process data and other information.

Even in terms of holding campaign meetings, the BJP has brought in its star campaigner, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to the State to have a couple of outings in Palladam and Tirunelveli. Once again Modi is coming to the State to take part in an official event at Kalpakkam the next week and will be addressing a public meeting in Chennai on March 4.

Apart from its inability to find big parties to align with it in the State, the BJP is now caught in the horns of a dilemma. Though it wants its senior leaders with links in the State to contest the polls, it is also bogged down with the fear of losing the elections since they do not enjoy the support of any big party.

Rubbing salt into the wound, the AIADMK, an erstwhile ally who broke away last year, is challenging the party to field its two star candidates who are now Union Ministers, originally hailing from Tamil Nadu. AIADMK deputy general secretary K P Munusamy threw the challenge while speaking at Krishnagiri, putting the BJP in a bind.

Though Union External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman are from the State, they have never faced any elections and have entered Parliament only through Rajya Sabha nomination. The other union minister L Murugan, whom the BJP is projecting as an iconic leader from the State, has already been nominated for the Rajya Sabha ruling out the possibility of him contesting the Lok Sabha polls.

The AIADMK, on its part, is also not able to find allies mainly to regain its image as a ‘secular party’ after being a part of the NDA since the death of J Jayalalithaa in 2016. The PMK and DMDK, whom the party is trying to rope into its fold have not given a final reply, despite two senior leaders S P Velumani and T Thangamani calling on the president of DMDK, Premalatha Vijayakanth on Friday.

The DMK, too, is involved in finalizing the seat sharing with its allies, some of whom are making demands that the coalition leader is finding it difficult to accede to. So both the parties would be able to launch their campaigns only after finalizing the seat-sharing with allies for the election symbols will change from constituency to constituency depending on the party to which it is allocated.

In the case of the BJP, it is seeking votes in the name of Modi – one slogan that has been painted in the wall is ‘Meendum Modi Vendum Modi’ (We want Modi, once again) – under the common symbol of ‘Lotus’ and so they can start painting the walls now itself as the candidate name could be filled in later. It's an advantage that the other two coalitions do not have.