Amid chants of ‘veendum meendum Modi ( We want Modi again),’ Prime Minister held a massive roadshow along with BJP state president K Annamalai and three BJP candidates contesting in Chennai such as Tamizhisai Soundararajan, Vinoj P Selvam and Paul Kanagaraj.The PM during his four day tour is expected to hold public rallies and roadshows in Vellore, Perambalur, Coimbatore, Nilgiris and Virudhunagar in support of the BJP and NDA candidates contesting under the alliance.
The state, which will see all its 39 seats go to polls in a single phase on April 19, has witnessed high-profile visits from senior leaders of the BJP. Over the weekend, party national president JP Nadda was on a whirlwind tour of the state campaigning and held roadshows after the Madras HC overruled police objections. Other leaders of the high command, who visited the state and held roadshows include the likes of union ministers Rajnath Singh, Hardeep Singh Puri, and Anurag Singh Thakur.
The Prime Minister’s visit also comes amid claims by the ruling DMK that the visits ,if anything ,‘would benefit the DMK.’ However, a closer look at the Prime Minister’s itinerary in the coming days in the state makes it evident that the BJP is targeting constituencies where they see an opportunity to make inroads or, at the very least, fit in as the second-largest party in seats traditionally dominated by either of the Dravidian parties.
The big three seats
In South Chennai, the BJP, the party has a history of fielding candidates since the 1991 Lok Sabha elections. BJP’s Tamil Isai Soundarajan, who resigned from her constitutional post as governor of Telangana to contest electoral politics is pitted against Tamizhachi Thangapandian of the DMK and AIADMK’s J Jayavardhan, son of former minister D Jayakumar.
In Coimbatore, the Prime Minister is scheduled to campaign for Tamil Nadu BJP president K. Annamalai and L Murugan in the Nilgiri constituency on April 10. Coimbatore holds a significant place for the BJP, having fielded candidates there since 1989. Despite facing initial challenges with a low vote share in 1989, the party managed to secure victories in 1998 and 1999 with substantial vote percentages. This time, the DMK has fielded former mayor Ganapathi Rajkumar while the AIADMK has nominated Singai G. Ramachandran against BJP’s Annamalai.
Nilgiris, once a stronghold for the BJP in the late 1990s, saw the party win seats in the 1998 and 1999 Lok Sabha elections. However, its vote share dwindled in subsequent years, and the party did not field candidates in the following elections. This time, A. Raja is contesting for the DMK and Lokesh Tamizh Selvan for the AIADMK in Nilgiris.
The three seats contested by NDA allies on the lotus symbol
Virudhunagar and Perambalur are set to be in the spotlight as Prime Minister Narendra Modi plans to visit these constituencies. Radhika Sarathkumar, wife of actor-turned-politician Sarathkumar, is contesting from Virudhunagar, while Paarivendhar, who previously won on a DMK ticket and is now running on a BJP ticket, is contesting from Perambalur.
Perambalur has historically not favored the BJP, with the party only fielding a candidate in 2014, when Paarivendhar secured 23.2 percent of votes. This time, Arun Nehru from the DMK and N.D. Chandramohan from the AIADMK are contesting against Paarivendhar. Similarly, the BJP lacks a strong foothold in the Vellore constituency, where they garnered 33.26 percent of votes in 2014 thanks to candidate Shanmugam, who was previously associated with the Puthiya Needhi Katchi.
In Vellore, Kathir Anand from the DMK and S. Pasupathi from the AIADMK are competing, while in Virudhunagar, the BJP has fielded a candidate for the second time since its establishment in 2009. B. Manickam Tagore from Congress and Vijaya Prabhakaran, son of DMDK leader Vijayakanth, are the main contenders in Virudhunagar.
Tamil Nadu stands out as a key state in sending a significant number of MPs to the Lok Sabha. With Uttar Pradesh reaching its peak in BJP representation and Maharashtra undergoing notable political shifts, Tamil Nadu remains a stronghold for regional parties since 1967, with no national party able to establish a strong presence.