Before the assembly elections in Tamil Nadu, the discussion regarding seat sharing within the NDA has intensified. Home Minister Amit Shah is continuously talking to the leaders of NDA constituents. Amit Shah met AIADMK leader E Palaniswami late on Wednesday night and discussed seat sharing as well as the expansion of NDA in the state. Along with this, Ambumani Ramdas’s party PMK has also become a part of NDA. According to sources, it has been agreed to give 17 assembly seats and 1 Rajya Sabha seat to PMK.
According to sources, seat sharing, common strategy and electoral coordination between BJP, AIADMK and PMK were discussed in the meeting with Home Minister Amit Shah. Along with this, there was also discussion in the meeting about expanding the alliance by including other parties of the state in NDA. While BJP wants to present NDA as a strong and organized alternative in Tamil Nadu, AIADMK wants to protect its traditional sphere of influence by remaining the pivot of the alliance.
Vanniyar vote bank decider
PMK’s Vanniyar vote bank is considered decisive in North and Central Tamil Nadu. In such a situation, NDA is working on the strategy of achieving caste and regional balance by giving limited but effective seats. At the same time, the assurance of Rajya Sabha seat is being considered as a sign of giving representation to the PMK leadership at the national level.
Importance of 2021 assembly elections
The context of 2021 assembly elections is also important in understanding this strategy. In 2021, AIADMK and BJP contested the elections together under NDA. In that election, NDA had won a total of 75 seats, out of which AIADMK had won 66 seats and BJP had won 4 seats. Talking about vote share, DMK got about 38 percent votes, which was the highest. AIADMK got about 33 percent votes, Congress got 4 to 4.3 percent votes, while BJP got about 2.6 percent votes.
Home Minister Amit Shah’s visit to Tamil Nadu
Home Minister Amit Shah was on a tour of Tamil Nadu a few days ago and participated in many programs there. The Home Minister not only addressed a large public meeting, but also took a meeting of the BJP’s core committee. This clearly indicated that the party is making aggressive preparations on both the organizational and electoral strategy fronts in the state. This time the Home Minister is going to focus especially on Tamil Nadu and West Bengal assembly elections. In the coming days also, Amit Shah will be seen touring Tamil Nadu continuously.
Where is BJP’s focus?
This time BJP is focusing especially on Coimbatore, Madurai and Chennai. The party has traditionally made inroads in urban and semi-urban areas. BJP is strongly staking claim on two seats in Coimbatore, while the party is eyeing 3 to 4 seats in Chennai metropolis, where middle class voters and Hindi speaking population are considered to play a decisive role.
Amit Shah’s strategy
According to sources, Amit Shah’s strategy is not limited to just strengthening BJP but also to make NDA electorally impenetrable. In this series, both the factions of BJP, AIADMK – TTV Dhinakaran and O. Panneerselvam (OPS) is trying to be brought back into the EPS-led NDA alliance. If this political ‘social engineering’ is successful, then a major breach in the DMK vote bank is considered certain. In Rameshwaram region also, the party is preparing to field candidates under the same equation. Along with this, BJP is also keeping an eye on film star Vijay’s party. If necessary, inclusion of his party in NDA can also be discussed.
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