Can BJP breach the Tamil Nadu citadel this time?

For the past four decades, be it Lok Sabha or state assembly polls, Tamil Nadu has seen a bi-polar contest between Dravidian parties, the DMK and AIADMK, with very little room for national parties like BJP and Congress to carve out a space for themselves.

While Congress used to dominate Tamil Nadu politics in the first 20 years of India's independence, the Dravidian parties have been holding the reins since 1967, when the DMK first swept the elections. The BJP, on the other hand, has made little to no impact since it first made its poll debut in 1980, opening its account only in 1996 with a single MLA.

However, the political landscape has changed significantly since then. Two Tamil Nadu stalwarts—Jayalalitha and Karunanidhi—are no more, and there are new entrants, actors Kamal Haasan and 'Thalapathi' Vijay, who are looking to exploit the political vacuum created by the death of the two mass leaders. While Hassan has been unable to make a mark and joined hands with the DMK-led alliance, Vijay will make his poll debut in the 2026 Tamil Nadu assembly election.

But the BJP senses that it has a chance to make an impact among the Tamil Nadu voters, who are seeking change and an alternative to Tamil nationalism.

With AIDIMK in disarray by the death of its supremo Jayalalithaa and its veterans deserting the party, the BJP is hoping to make a dent in AIADMK's voter base and pit itself as the main opposition party against the DMK.

It is precisely why Prime Minister Narendra Modi allocated much of his campaign time to Tamil Nadu by making over a dozen visits to the state and holding road shows and public meetings. The party is contesting in 19 of the 39 seats and in alliance with PMK and a few other smaller parties.

Though poll analysts have predicted a clean sweep by the DMK and Congress-led alliance, the BJP's aim, as announced by its firebrand leader K Annamalai, is clear—get 20% vote share in the state in the 2024 Lok Sabha election.

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