Dismal vote share spoils BJP, Cong 2021 chances

According to the data released by the Tamil Nadu State Election Commission, the national party BJP had secured a vote share of 1.36 per cent in the district panchayat council polls and the Congress registered 2.91 per cent. Whereas, the state parties the ruling AIADMK and its arch-rival DMK registered 41.55 per cent and 46.99 per cent respectively. Another regional party PMK emerged as the third-largest party with more than 4.5 per cent votes. The number of independent candidates was 3,537 in 2011 and now in 2019, the number of independents were just 455 at district panchayat levels.

“Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami and DMK leader MK Stalin have both carefully side-lined the national parties BJP and the Congress in the recently concluded civic polls,” opined political commentator Raveendran Duraisamy. Going by the data released by the TNSEC, the national parties in TN have been reduced to a party with less than three per cent vote share and this will empower the Dravidian majors to take an upper hand when the alliance negotiations are held for the upcoming state Assembly polls in 2021. Particularly, the DMK has dented the Congress in most areas by denying seats in the direct and the indirect civic polls.

“State parties have performed well in the polls and this is an indication to both the Congress and the BJP that Tamil Nadu is the terrain of parties with Dravidian ideology,” opined political commentator R Mani.

In the civic polls, the state parties have an edge when compared to the national parties as the state parties speak about the statehood and its rights, whereas the national parties focus on a nationwide policy. Be it Cauvery water row or implementation of NEET, the state parties have a different view when compared to the national parties. Further, the state parties have a grass root level cadre strength which is not the case for national parties in the state, Mani said.

However, the reduction in the number of independent candidates in civic polls is a set back to the democratic set up of the country, he added.