Allying with BJP is always seen as a mistake as far as the political parties in Tamil Nadu are concerned. In 2001 assembly elections DMK allied with BJP and faced AIADMK’s valiant alliance of consolidating Communist, Congress and others. As a result, the DMK BJP combine lost terribly in a waveless election.

But, for BJP it was the beginning. While the saffron party won the Padmanabhapuram constituency in 1996, they managed to win 4 seats in 2001 with DMK on their side. The 2021 results are more or less a replication of 2001.

Except, BJP not only managed to win 4 seats, but also managed to garner more votes. In all the 20 seats contested, the party managed to garner more than 25,000 votes. L Murugan in Dharapuram, Khushbu Sundar in Thousand Lights, Annamalai in Aravakurichi, Vinoj P Selvam in Chennai Harbour and D Periasamy in Tittakudi are some of the notable examples.

Now, let us take a detailed view on all these constituencies.

Vinoj P Selvam giving Jitters to DMK Strongman

Sekar Babu got elected from Radhakrishnan Nagar in 2006 on an AIADMK ticket. Then, in 2011 he switched to the DMK camp and contested from the same seat only to lose. But he never switched parties since then.

In the recently concluded 2021 elections, he won from Chennai Harbour which is a constituency from where former DMK chief Karunanidhi won in 1989 and 1991.

In such a constituency, Vinoj P Selvam’s popularity was soaring high. It is believed that the Marwadi community and Chetty community seems to have voted for him. But a large muslim population and Telugu speaking population seems to have favoured Sekar Babu.

In the initial few rounds, Vinoj P Selvam stood ahead with 50 percen strike rate. Unlikely, Sekar Babu took the lead in the coming rounds and won with a margin of 27,274 votes.

Khushbu Sundar Opens a Pro-BJP Vote Bank in DMK Stronghold (Thousand Lights)

Thousand Lights has a large muslim population. This constituency is one reason why Dayanidhi Maran has been able to win the Chennai Central Lok Sabha seat quite often. When this constituency was offered to BJP, it was believed that K K Selvam, the former DMK Chennai district secretary would contest from here. But, to everyone’s surprise, it went to Khushbu Sundar without any protest from K K Selvam.

What is more surprising is, Khushbu even after putting up a rigorous campaign, did not stand a chance to win. From the first round to last round, she hardly had any leads. At the end, she garnered 25,079 votes and conceded defeat to Dr Ezhilan of DMK. But the good part is, even though Thousand Lights is a DMK bastion, the saffron party managing to garner 25,000 votes is a good sign that people are gradually accepting it.

L Murugan Concedes Defeat with a 1393 Vote Margin

L Murugan, the Tamil Nadu BJP President was most likely to win from Dharapuram constituency. While the simultaneous rounds gave edge to Murugan, the final round favoured the DMK candidate Kayalvizhi.

Also, Ranjitha from Naam Tamizhar Katchi fetched 6753 votes followed by Charlie of Makkal Needhi Maiyam getting 2130 votes is a spoiling factor for Murugan’s victory. Due to these two fringe parties, BJP’s victory prospects got shunned.

D Periasamy, a Dalit leader Puts a Tough Fight for BJP in Tittakudi

D Periasamy is a Dalit leader and well revered across Cuddalore district. When BJP fielded him as the candidate for Tittakudi, victory was well assured. But we also shouldn’t forget the fact that DMK has a wider support that is equal to AIADMK and its allies.

BJP National President J P Nadda, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and other BJP stalwarts from centre visited frequently to campaign for Periasamy. Even though, the dalit leader lost to the DMK candidate, he had put up a valiant fight.

Annamalai IPS Consolidates Hindu Vote Bank in Aravakurichi

Aravakurichi in Karur district is one of the 40 constituencies in Tamil Nadu with a significant number of Muslim votes. When BJP was offered this constituency, it was sure they are going to lose. But Annamalai’s youth appeal in Western Tamil Nadu was an affirming sign that they could put on a tough fight.

When the Pallapatti Jamaat challenged him from entering the village, he gave a fitting reply which led the Jamaat to give up. Similar to L Murugan and others, the initial rounds were more affirming for the BJP. But at the end, the former IPS officer lost to the DMK candidate with a margin of 24,816 votes.

The Way Ahead for BJP in Tamil Nadu

In a nutshell, even though DMK won, it is now a proven fact that BJP has its merit. It is not only AIADMK’s popularity which it had to depend upon. But also, the humongous groundwork by the minimal BJP cadres in Tamil Nadu which reaped results. If BJP continues to work on this level, they could easily win in double digits in the coming elections too.

Disclaimer: The views expressed are personal