LS polls: Will Kollywood 'star power' help BJP to finally win over TN voters?
To bolster its vote share in Tamil Nadu, the BJP-led alliance has fielded prominent actors, film directors, educationists, and other popular figures. Will the gamble pay off?
If Prime Minister Narendra Modi is eyeing to clinch 400 seats in this Lok Sabha election, he needs to win over the South states which seem immune to his charms, with the notable exception of Karnataka.
In Tamil Nadu, which sends 39 MPs to the Lok Sabha, the BJP drew a complete blank in the 2019 national polls. But this time, as Tamil Nadu is all set to go to the polls in a single-phase voting on April 19, the saffron party seems more confident of making inroads into the Dravidian homeland.
Prominent and popular candidates
To bolster its vote share in Tamil Nadu, which has not looked beyond the DMK and AIADMK, the BJP-led alliance has roped in prominent actors, film directors, educationists, and other popular figures to contest this national election.
The BJP has fielded veteran actor Radhika Sarathkumar, novelist and 'Azhagi' director Thankar Batchan, Pattali Makkal Katchi party president Anbumani Ramadoss’s wife, Soumya Anbumani, AC Shanmugam, and T R Paarivendhar. This move is expected to bolster the party's grassroots presence and signal to former alliance partner AIADMK about the BJP's growing influence.
The fiery BJP state president K Annamalai is contesting from Coimbatore constituency. Photo X | @BJP4TamilNadu
Besides leveraging Kollywood star faces, the BJP has also mobilised its senior party leaders, including state party unit president K Annamalai and former presidents L Murugan and Tamilisai Soundararajan, to fight in this election.
BJP's allies in TN
Contesting from nine constituencies independently, the BJP has allocated 10 seats to its ally PMK and one seat each to the New Justice Party and the Indiya Jananayaga Katchi. It has also allotted two seats to T T V Dhinakaran’s Amma Makkal Munetra Kazgham, which is also part of its alliance.
The excitement in the political arena escalated when actor Sarath Kumar merged his All India Samthuva Makkal Katchi with the BJP and secured a ticket for his wife Radhika. Annamalai’s nomination to the Coimbatore constituency too has ramped up expectations of a possible win.
Popularity pays
According to senior journalist R Rangaraj, BJP, with its diverse coalition, is poised to attract a significant portion of the anti-DMK vote, which previously went to the AIADMK. He suggested that the BJP may also appeal to voters who do not fully align with its political agenda but oppose the DMK and are unwilling to vote for AIADMK.
However, Rangaraj noted that the BJP cannot attract Tamil voters with its religious politics. He pointed out that the party's use of familiar faces like Radhika and Annamalai will help to gain support, particularly from Hindutva voters and anti-DMK voters.
Pushing its 'popularity pays' principle in this election, the BJP may even surpass AIADMK in constituencies such as Virudhunagar, Chennai South, Kanyakumari, and Dharmapuri, he felt.
Lack of grassroot presence
Meanwhile, political analyst and senior journalist R Ilangovan explained that BJP is using 'star' power in this Lok Sabha polls due to a significant lack of a grassroots presence and district-level strongholds, compared to the regional Dravidian parties like the DMK and AIADMK.
While the popularity of these candidates may attract some votes, Ilangovan doubted whether the alliance will work any major magic in Tamil Nadu as touted by its leaders. He argued that although the BJP may be highly visible and excel on social media platforms, this may not necessarily translate into electoral success.
In constituencies like Cuddalore, where Thankar Batchan from PMK in the BJP-led alliance faces MK Vishnu Prasad from Congress in the DMK alliance and Sivakolundhu from DMDK in the AIADMK alliance, the competition is fierce. Similarly, in Virudhunagar, Radhika will confront Congress heavyweight Maickam Tagore, which will be another intensely competitive race.
At the end of the day, Ilangovan felt that star candidates may help in spreading the BJP's message but their impact on the election outcome still remains uncertain.