Tamil Nadu Village Gods
State Elections – 2021: Tamil Nadu
By Venkatesh Raghavan
One can imagine a political parallel with what’s transpiring in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu. While Mamta Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress (TMC) is contesting again after two successive terms in West Bengal, the ruling All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) in Tamil Nadu too is up for combating an anti-incumbency current after completing two successive terms.
However, the parallels stop with this. For, in Tamil Nadu, the AIADMK is in an alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)and their core opponent, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) is allied with the Congress for the hustings. Besides, unlike in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu is faced with a situation where GenNext will be taking over, be it the ruling AIADMK or the DMK cadres. Both the titans on Tamil Nadu politics, namely J Jayalaithaa who stewarded the AIADMK and M Karunanidhi who headed the DMK are no more. The new faces that come up for the chief ministerial chairs happen to be Edappadi K Palaiswami (EKP) from AIADMK and MK Stalin (MKP) from DMK.
Both EKP and MKP being relatively new to feeling the pulse of the people at the grassroot levels, will in a sense be forced to start from scratch to establish their leadership credentials.
Unlike their predecessors, both EKP and MKP have no roots with the Tamil film industry that had in the first place made these titans assume centre stage in Tamil Nadu politics. Whereas with the DMK, MKS is a direct descendent of the family-owned party, EKP owes his stake to claim chief ministership of Tamil Nadu after being nominated to the chair by Jayalalithaa’s close aid Vivekanandan Krishnaveni Sasikala, also known by her married name Sasikala Natarajan – a sacked chief of the ruling AIADMK who was released from jail recently.
Sasikala today announced she was quitting politics and told the AIADMK cadre to remain stay united in the fight against the DMK. She had of late floated her own political party, the Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam, and the AIADMK had so far resisted the BJP’s pressure to accommodate her or her nephew, TTV Dhinakaran, in the party or in the alliance led by it.
It’s a known fact that at least till Jayalalithaa’s death, the AIADMK drew support from the large rural electorate in Tamil Nadu and urban centres like Chennai used to favour the DMK. Stalin being well aware of the prevalent trend is focusing his attention in rural areas of Tamil Nadu by addressing village-level gatherings or gram sabhas to catch voter attention. Chief Minister EKP too is doing his bit to attract both rural and urban votes by ushering in a personal touch with the masses. It’s a steep climb down from the days of Karunanidhi and Jayalalithaa, which roped in voters’ support on the sheer strength of their personalities.
With both leaders being relatively new to leading the poll scene in the state, the two mainstream parties in the state have begun their electioneering campaign much earlier than usual. There was a stir in the political arena with film and cult hero Rajinikanth announcing his entry into politics. However, he later withdrew on health grounds. That still does not mean much as even if Rajinikanth is not in the race, his vocal support to any political party in the fray can influence many voters and prove to be a windfall. Rajinikanth’s political presence could have benefitted the BJP a lot. However, for now the Party at the Centre will have to rest content on the performance of their ally the AIADMK.
For now, Stalin having won the family turf war for the DMK leadership, is faced with a situation where he will be playing for high stakes to garner the chief ministership of the state. On the other hand, EKP who was nominated to the chair by Sasikala will be tasked with deftly handling rebellion from within his party cadres, namely O Paneerselvam, who happens to be the next in command for the AIADMK cadres. Though not much is expected from a change in pattern in the form of alternating between these two mainstream parties, cine-star Kamal Haasan’s Makkal Needhi Malam, which is expected to make its debut in Tamil Nadu politics on an anti-corruption plank, is something to watch out for. Kamal enjoys popular support with some of the urban pockets.
To sum up, the anti-incumbency factor gives the DMK-Congress coalition an edge over the ruling AIADMK-BJP alliance. However, BJP’s support to the AIADMK might prove to be a game changer if support pouring in from cult film hero Rajinikanth either vocally or in the form of press statements makes its impact felt.
