- Parani Taran
- BBC Tamil
Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Manipur and Goa’s most anticipated legislative elections have been declared. According to most polls, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is retaining power in the four ruling states in the run-up to the elections. In Punjab, the Aam Aadmi Party has seized power with a simple majority. Both parties have since announced that the southern states are our next target. Is this possible?
The BJP has won two seats in Punjab. At the same time, BJP leaders claim that the party’s success in the other four states is due to popular recognition of the plans and rule of Narendra Modi, the ruling party in the Center.
Speaking at an election victory rally at the BJP headquarters in Delhi on Thursday evening, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, “This is the first time a single party has come to power in Uttarakhand. I hope the same experts will say that the results of the 2022 Assembly elections will determine the headlines of the 2024 parliamentary elections, “he said.
This is the first time in the last 37 years that a single party has come to power in Uttar Pradesh. Similarly, in Uttarakhand, the people have elected the BJP for the second time in a row.
For the first time, the BJP is ruling Manipur with a simple majority. This is the third time in Goa that a party-led government has been formed.
Tamil Nadu BJP leader K.K. Speaking to Annamalai reporters, he said, “The BJP will start counting in Tamil Nadu in the elections to be held in 2024 and in the elections to follow.”
“The next goal Southern States “
BBC Tamil asked him if these were just lines published in celebration of election victory.
“These are definitely possible taxes,” Annamalai said, adding that the BJP would launch its account not only in Tamil Nadu but also in the southern states of Karnataka, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. We aim to eliminate succession politics in the southern states, including, ”he said.
Annamalai also gave an interview to the media in Chennai before speaking to BBC Tamil. He then said that one day the BJP would form a government in Tamil Nadu just as the four state election results were in favor of the BJP. He said that the ruling DMK operating in Tamil Nadu as a rival to the AIADMK was not in the best interest of the people.
Annamalai responded in detail to our question as to how far it is possible to hold these two state elections and rule in the southern state as well.
“We do not see this victory only as a four-state election victory. Our vote bank percentage has gone up significantly in the constituencies where the BJP has contested. We see the strategies of the BJP and the plans of the BJP-ruling central government as a success, ”he said.
With the BJP opinion Congress MP
But Manikkam Tagore, a Congress member from Virudhunagar in Tamil Nadu, says the BJP’s plan will never be taken up in Tamil Nadu.
Manik Tagore, who is close to Rahul Gandhi, said, “As Rahul said, our party is learning a lesson from every election result. Everyone has a responsibility to realize that lesson and ensure self-discipline.”
Asked about the BJP’s plan to make a strong foothold in Tamil Nadu and Telangana, he said, “The BJP has never been in a position to rule a state with honest politics. That is how the BJP acted. It did the same in many states like Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and Rajasthan and now it will do the same in the southern states, “said Manik Tagore.
“The Congress is in a Stalin-led alliance with the objective of a Dravidian model for Tamil Nadu. The leaders of both parties have a good understanding that the BJP can not be confused. It can retain power in states like Uttar Pradesh, Manipur, Uttarakhand and Goa. The intention will not be fulfilled, “said Manikkam Tagore.
Congress needs attention
But journalist Lakshmanan says the Congress party’s defeat in these elections is the biggest warning to it.
“Since the BJP came to power in the Center, the Congress party has been snatching away the rule of the states under its control. Despite the motive, the ruling BJP corrected its mistake. The Congress party has not done such a lesson, “Lakshmanan said.
“After the resignation of Amarinder Singh, the Congress chief minister in Punjab, the party leadership recognized Navjot Sidhu’s leadership, but then Sidhu acted in defiance of Chief Minister Saranjit Singh Sunny. It also failed to raise a strong voice, “Lakshmanan said.
But we asked him if the BJP’s victory in Uttar Pradesh was aimed at gradually expanding to Tamil Nadu.
“The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister has spoken on the platform of Stalin’s allies proposing Rahul Gandhi as the Prime Ministerial candidate. In such a scenario, it seems that the DMK will not turn against Rahul for now,” Lakshmanan said.
“Since the DMK supports the Rahul-led Congress, Stalin has a moral obligation to instruct the party to correct its mistakes. The state-level Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is welcome to rule in another state.
However, the Aam Aadmi Party’s Tamil Nadu faction leader Vasikaran did not accept Lakshmanan’s argument.
‘Delhi Model‘ Will the regime expand Aam Aadmi
Speaking to BBC Tamil, he said, “The Aam Aadmi Party continued to rule in Delhi only because it put forward the needs of the people and development projects, without putting forward caste politics and religious politics. The promises made during the election were fulfilled as public welfare schemes.
The people of Punjab have endorsed the Aam Aadmi Party’s Delhi model of rule. That success will continue in the coming states.
Following Punjab, we will win the next elections in Uttar Pradesh and form a government. Aam Aadmi Party will rule in Tamil Nadu in 2026 too, ‘says Vasikaran.
What does AIADMK say?
In Tamil Nadu, the BJP formed an alliance with the AIADMK in the parliamentary and assembly elections and contested the elections. However, in the recent local body elections, the BJP found a separate constituency. In some places the party won. Will this alliance continue in the future? AIADMK senior leader and former MP Dr B.S. We asked Venugopal.
“All parties may dream of ruling the state, but in the case of Tamil Nadu, only the Dravidian parties, the AIADMK and the DMK, have the credentials and popular recognition to rule the state,” he said.
“There is an opinion among the leaders at the top level on the issue of forming an alliance with the BJP and there is an opinion in the minds of the frontline party workers. We have political policies, coalition policies. There are limits to them. Venugopal.
Kubendiran, another journalist, echoed the sentiment almost in agreement.
According to him, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which came from outside the state and made its mark in Punjab, attributed the party’s progress to the extent of taking over the Delhi-style government within ten years of its inception to the political situation prevailing in the respective states and the public’s hatred of the parties in power till then.
The ‘succession politics’ pointing to the BJP’s Annamalai is more prevalent in the southern states. We asked Kupendra whether it was healthy politics for the BJP to aim to eradicate it.
“Successor politics did not exist in India until Jawaharlal Nehru. Indira Gandhi came into politics after his demise due to compulsion. He was the one who entered politics. After Sanjay Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi came into politics. But his children did not come into politics as long as Rajiv Gandhi was in power. Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi, who came to politics out of compulsion, came to Stalin in Karunanidhi’s way in Tamil Nadu. The BJP is trying to develop, but in practice all these arguments will not be taken. Kupendran.
However, BJP state leader Annamalai reaffirms that we will continue to work under the slogan of eradicating caste politics and succession politics that are rampant in states like Tamil Nadu and Telangana.
We asked state legislator DMK member Trichy Siva how he sees the entry of the BJP, the Aam Aadmi Party into the southern state or its political impact on the issue. “There is nothing big to comment on about the election victory. They are not related to Tamil Nadu,” he said.
When asked by Lok Sabha DMK member Kanimozhi, Kanimozhi said, “The DMK has nothing to say about the victory of the BJP and the Aam Aadmi Party. The DMK will only talk about it if the need arises.”
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