Amid heightened speculation over replacing BJP state president K Annamalai and stitching a credible coalition by taking the AIADMK on board to take on the ruling DMK in the assembly election early next year, BJP strategist and Union Home Minister Amit Shah landed here Thursday on a two-day visit.
The visit assumes significance as it comes at a time when the political discourse in the Dravidian heartland has taken a dramatic turn.
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The DMK has already set a narrative for the poll, putting both the principal opposition AIADMK and the BJP on the backfoot over Hindi imposition through the three-language formula, delimitation of Lok Sabha constituencies and discriminatory financial devolution.
Added to this, the DMK government of MK Stalin had secured a huge advantage with the Supreme Court verdict deeming 10 Bills, referred to the President, as having received assent.
According to sources, AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami is likely to meet Shah along with his party seniors for the second time within a fortnight after the first one in Delhi. Other expelled AIADMK leaders including former Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam and Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK) founder TTV Dhinakaran too have sought an audience with Shah and the BJP veteran would have to navigate through to clinch an alliance with the AIADMK and bring more parties into the NDA fold.
Even before he could land, the PMK has put the spokes in his plans with party founder S Ramadoss remaining non-committal on an alliance with the saffron party.
“Alliance will be decided by the PMK’s Executive Committee later on by the year end,” was his response to a question on tie-up with the BJP. Further, Ramadoss had stripped his son, Anbumani, said to be a votary of teaming up with the BJP, from the post of party president and declaring himself as party president.
On the change of guard in TN BJP, it is not clear yet as to whether Annamalai will be relieved of his responsibility though party Mahila Morcha national president and Coimbatore MLA, Vanathi Sreenivasan is a strong contender as a replacement.
Despite the party making 10 years of continued party membership mandatory for contesting the election, Tirunelveli MLA, Nainar Nagendran, a former AIADMK minister who switched to the BJP, is also in the reckoning.
A potential dark horse could be Anandhan Ayyasamy from Tenkasi, a young Dalit leader and a protege of former CEO of Zoho corporation Vembu, say sources. He has been groomed by Vembu to bring the southern districts under saffron sway.
With RSS ideologue and ‘Thuglak’ editor S Gurumurthy slated to present a roadmap for Shah on the BJP making gains in Tamil Nadu, Annamalai met him earlier in the day. He is expected to suggest the creation of a new post, NDA Coordinator to smoothen ruffled feathers in the alliance besides the benefits of retaining Annamalai if no one could be entrusted to enter his shoes in the present.
