AIADMK chaos gives DMK leverage, opens up new vistas for BJP

CHENNAI: The ruling DMK stands to electorally gain to a significant extent and the BJP, though now on the fringes, could aspire to get more electoral space in the wake of churning in the AIADMK.

Although a huge chunk of party workers and office-bearers are apparently with the dominant leader Edappadi K Palaniswami, ousted figurehead O Panneerselvam does have a clout among sections of party workers in select regions of Tamil Nadu. At the same time VK Sasikala, confidante of late party matriarch J Jayalalithaa is staking claim to the late leader’s legacy. Not to leave her nephew TTV Dhinakaran behind too.

This leaves the field open to as many as four players, including Palaniswami to fight for the legacy of AIADMK votes. Dhinakaran’s Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam played spoilsport for the AIADMK in a number of constituencies in the recent Assembly election.

Durai Karuna, political commentator and a chronicler of the AIADMK for several decades told that a divided AIADMK would only work in favour of the DMK electorally to a significant extent. The AIADMK’s vote banks comprise ‘Dravidian and MGR-Amma votes’, which is pro-Dravidian ideology but opposed to the DMK and its leadership.

Karuna said the DMK, which has already emerged very strong, captured power in the state after a decade and has the support of several allies, including the Congress and Left parties.

He said the BJP, which has an alliance with the AIADMK has set its sights on winning an impressive number of Parliamentary seats in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. A weakened AIADMK would not be of help to the saffron party and a united AIADMK is in the interests of the ruling party at the Centre, he added.

Asked on his party’s stand, BJP state unit vice-president Narayanan Tirupati said, “This is an internal issue of the AIADMK. We have absolutely nothing to comment on it.” Answering a question, he said, “comments on electoral alliances can be made only during the times of election.”

Political commentator M Bharat Kumar said a divided AIADMK brought back DMK to power in 1989 after a gap of 13 years. Now, the DMK is already in power and a split in the AIADMK would mean more consolidation of electoral space for the ruling party.

“There are no elections until 2024. So, there are no immediate losers or gainers as electoral battle is far away. However, in the perception battle, bickering and fragmentation in the AIADMK would to a considerable extent favour the BJP and help the party garner more and more anti-DMK votes,” he said.