Is BJP getting ready to go alone to polls?

The BJP leadership is confident of getting the expected seats in the northern states including Uttar Pradesh in the 2024 Lok Sabha general elections. But in Tamil Nadu, with the AIADMK, the main ally, divided into four factions, it is everyone’s wonder what could be the next step for the Bharatiya Janata Party?

BJP is planning to win the Lok Sabha general elections and form the government for the 3rd time in a row and get more MPs from southern states. As far as Tamil Nadu is concerned, it is possible to win more seats only if the vote bank is in alliance with the AIADMK, so the BJP has made efforts to unite T.T.V Dhinakaran, OPS, EPS and V.K Sasikala, who have started a separate party.

In particular, although the BJP is the ruling party at the centre, the AIADMK is the largest party in Tamil Nadu. It is for this reason that BJP state president Annamalai said that the alliance is under the leadership of the party. 

At the same time, even though the alliance is on one side, it is said that the BJP has selected 10 constituencies including Coimbatore, Kanyakumari, Nilgiris, South Chennai, Sivagangai, Ramanathapuram and started the work of setting up booth committees there, and it is said that the BJP has decided on the candidates to contest there.

Also, OPS, TTV Dhinakaran and V.K Sasikala agree on efforts to unify AIADMK. Opposition leader Edappadi Palaniswami (EPS) is the only one protesting. With more than a year to go before the general elections, the Delhi top leadership of the BJP feels that they can get him on track by then.

In this case, the recent speeches of the state BJP president Annamalai are creating vibrations within the alliance. In particular, while talking to the state and district office bearers recently, he said, 'You don't have to go too far for 5 or 6 seats. Let's see if the alliance party agrees. Otherwise we will stand alone.

If we stand alone, we will occupy more than 20 places. Annamalai is said to have said that at least 5 of them will be ministers.There is a political calculation behind BJP's talk of contesting alone.

Senior BJP leaders say that this should be seen as a warning given to ADMK factions and on the other hand, as a plan to motivate the office bearers and volunteers to ensure party growth. Will the BJP ride the alliance horse with chances of victory even if it contests in few places? Or will the stand-alone strategy ensure strength and growth for the party? We have to wait and see.