No space for BJP in Tamil Nadu: Kanimozhi

No space for BJP in Tamil Nadu: Kanimozhi

As the voting for all 39 Lok Sabha seats in the southern state started on Friday, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam leader Kanimozhi said that the clash is ‘clearly’ between the DMK and AIADMK as the ‘BJP does not find space in Tamil Nadu.’

“In Tamil Nadu, I do not even think they (BJP) will come in second place. The fight is clearly between DMMK and AIADMK. BJP does not find space here. BJP is not even contesting in Thoothukudi. In Tamil Nadu, INDIA alliance will get 39 seats and 1 seat in Puducherry,” the DMK leader claimed before casting her vote.

But, the entry of the saffron party in Tamil Nadu will not be easy despite huge focus of the ruling party that it has paid during the campaigning time. Historically, the BJP has never been able to find any notable response in the sourthern state, even when it had started emerging as a dominant party in north India.

In 2014, when BJP achieved its breakthrough, the party and its ally the PMK got one seat each. Tamil Nadu saw an unprecedented landslide win for the ruling AIADMK under J. Jayalalithaa, a result which wiped the DMK out of the national scene. Contesting on its own on 39 seats, the AIADMK won 37 seats. State BJP president Pon Radhakrishnan won from Kanyakumari and the PMK’s Anb ..

All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) has fielded R Sivasamy Velumagainst Kanimozhi while the Tamil Manila Congress (Moopanar) is contesting the Thoothukudi seat as part of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA). It has fielded SDR Vijayaseelan in the seat.

In the 2019 elections, Kanimozhi won by a margin of 3,47,209 votes against the BJP’s Tamilisai Soundararajan, who is contesting from Chennai South this time.

Demand for livelihood in those villages in Thoothukudi that were hit by monsoons and floods has been at the forefront of the issues of the voters. Additionally, proper drainage facilities in the Thoothukudi urban area has also been part of the list of demands.

In the 2019 general elections, the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance, comprising the Congress, VCK, MDMK, CPI, CPI(M), IUML, MMK, KMDK, TVK, and AIFB, registered a landslide victory, winning 38 of the 39 seats in the state.

The electoral battle for 543 Lok Sabha seats in the country started on Friday. It will be held in seven phases. The counting of the votes will take place on June 4.

(with agency inputs)

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