BJP’s Tiruchi unit left holding the baby

With the DMDK getting Tiruchi seat, the national party seems to be fighting a losing battle in Thanjavur

A.M.G.Vijayakumar, the DMDK candidate for Tiruchi Lok Sabha constituency,is the first to get off the blocks among the BJP-led alliance candidates in thecentral region.

The Bharatiya Janata Party-led rainbow alliance formed after much manoeuvring brought delight to the cadre of its constituents. Political observers termed the alliance as a formidable one and said it could upset the calculations of the dominant Dravidian parties in the central region.

But the joy of having achieved the alliance was and the initial enthusiasm waned within a few days, thanks to the confusion over the allotment of seats.

While the Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam is contesting from Tiruchi and Karur Lok Sabha constituencies, the Pattali Makkal Katchi is in the fray in Mayiladuthurai and Nagapattinam (reserved). The BJP is in Thanjavur and India Janayaga Katchi has been allotted in Perambalur.

Of the six, the presence of only A.M.G. Vijayakumar of the DMDK (Tiruchi) and T.R. Pachamuthu of IJK (Perambalur) is being felt in the central region.

While the BJP was keen on fielding a candidate in Tiruchi constituency, which it had won twice in the past, the DMDK bargained for it. The BJP, which hoped to capitalise on the momentum generated by the youth conference of the party addressed by Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, is yet to recover from the shock.

The BJP had to settle for Thanjavur seat, where its prospects of victory are slim. Even the BJP cadre are dismayed at their leadership’s decision to accept Thanjavur where it has little support base. The party is nowhere in the contest, laments a senior party activist.

Similarly, the PMK had opted only for Mayiladuthurai and had nominated Aghoram as its candidate a few months ago. This was due to the fact that the party had finished close second in 1998 and 1999 elections there.

But the Nagapattinam (Reserved) seat was thrust on it much against its wish. In fact, it took a few days for the party to recover from the shock, before announcing the candidature of Vadivel Ravanan, a native of Theni district.

The picture for this combine is not rosy in Karur constituency too, where DMDK is in fray.

While the top leaders of all leading parties have been criss-crossing the constituencies every alternate day, the BJP combine has so far only Vijayakanth to campaigning in a few places in central region.

Undeterred by the several handicaps, Mr. Vijayakumar, who is in the fray in Tiruchi constituency for the second consecutive time, is making a brave effort as also Mr. Pachamuthu in Perambalur.

Despite the “Modi wave” sweeping across the nation, the BJP in Tamil Nadu has not yet made much headway in the electoral battle in the central region that too after successfully forging a poll combine, a senior functionary of the party regrets.