BJP president Amit
Shah says he is learning Tamil. Even as he apologised to locals for
speaking in Hindi at his first public rally in Tamil Nadu, his message
on Saturday was unambiguous: “The reign of DMK and AIADMK is set to
end.” It was a clear signal of intent with BJP hoping to expand its base
in the state ahead of assembly elections in 2016. BJP’s push into Tamil
Nadu is in concert with a similarly aggressive thrust into Kerala,
where Amit Shah told reporters in Kochi that his party was looking to
enrol 40 lakh members and targeting local body elections in 2015.
For a party president who began his tenure
by calling for a “Congress-mukt” Bharat, BJP’s pincer moves into south
India are a crucial element of a ruthless party machine that remains
relentlessly in campaign mode, looking to capitalise on the momentum of
its Lok Sabha victory. The plan to expand south of the Vindhyas, in
tandem with Shah’s ‘Mission 44′ in Kashmir and outreach efforts in the
northeast, are part of a larger design to overcome BJP’s image of being a
party of the Hindi heartland.
It is no coincidence that after
challenging Mamata Banerjee in Kolkata last month, Shah fronted
high-profile political functions in Kerala and Tamil Nadu over the
weekend. He will be in Andhra and Telangana next week, before heading to
Odisha in the new year. BJP senses an opportunity, winning 21 of 61
seats it contested across four southern states in the Lok Sabha polls.
This was much better than 2009, when it won 19 of 106 seats it
contested.
BJP’s 43.37% vote share in Karnataka was
not surprising, but it also increased its vote share to 10.3% in Kerala
(up from 3.9% in 2009), 8.5% in Andhra (up from 2.8%) and 3.2% in Tamil
Nadu (up from 2.3%). Just like it emerged from nowhere to grab power in
Haryana earlier this year, and now looks set to make big gains in
Jharkhand and Jammu & Kashmir elections, BJP is looking to repeat
the pattern in southern states where it has never been more than a
marginal player. BJP is challenging entrenched regional parties but must
remember that a lot will depend on how well it performs in New Delhi.
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