Chennai: Under its new electoral stratagem, the BJP is seemingly banking on its top leaders to undertake rigorous campaigns for the Lok Sabha elections rather than fight it out and one of the indications is the nomination of Union Minister of State L Murugan to the Rajya Sabha from Madhya Pradesh even though the party’s State unit has been preparing the ground for him to contest from the Nilgiris constituency by pitching him against DMK’s A Raja.
Apart from that the BJP is keen on winning at least nine seats in the State by not just ramping up its campaign machinery but also luring leaders from other parties into its fold on the lines of the caper that it pulled up recently with 15 former MLAs of the AIADMK and a former MP of DMK switching loyalties to the BJP at a highly publicized event in New Delhi.
Though the leaders of their parent parties dismissed the defections as inconsequential and described the deserters as retired persons with no following anywhere, the BJP had summoned the State president K Aannamalai to be present at the event in a short notice to send across the message to the people and politicians that switching loyalties to the BJP was just a normal thing in politics, even in Tamil Nadu.
It was in this backdrop an animated tete-e-tete between AIADMK’s strongman in the Western region S P Velumani and BJP’s top women leader Vanathi Srinivasan in the Assembly premises the other day was viewed with suspicion, triggering speculations of the BJP targeting Velumani himself. That AIADMK leaders like Velumani and K T Thangamani were the reasons for the party sticking on to the BJP for a long time is now recalled to substantiate the conjecture.
Another politician who has been branded as a potential defector to the BJP is Congress MLA Vijayadharani, representing Vilavankode constituency in Kanyakumari district for three terms continuously. The talk about it was so widespread and loud in digital and social media that when Vijayadhharani arrived at the State Assembly on Wednesday, reporters shot the question straight at her.
Without dispelling the doubts of the media persons, she said that she could not confirm it or deny it, only providing more grist to the rumour mills. It is said that she had been disillusioned over the manner in which she was being treated in the Assembly and in the TNCC and hence wanted to switch over to the BJP and seek a Lok Sabha ticket from Kanyakumari constituency, which is home to a plethora of veteran BJP leaders.
The conversation between Vanathi Srinivsan and Velumani was also interpreted as an instance of the BJP taking help for the arrangements of the public meeting at Palladam in Tiruppur district. The meeting, it is touted, would see the defectors from other parties joining the BJP in the presence of Prime Minister Naredra Modi, who will otherwise be presiding over the conclusion of State President K Annamalai’s yatra.
Since Velumani’s clout in the region was enormous, the BJP might be taking his help in the organization of the meeting, some say, while other add that Velumani could make himself a major attraction by joining the party that he had wanted the AIADMK to be aligned to, at the event. primarily held to showcase the latest ‘catches’ of the BJP.
Those potential ‘catches’ could be spread across parties, but mostly AIADMK, and there could be those holding responsible positions, like membership in the legislature and party positions, too, the speculations go.
