STALIN SECURES THE SOUTHERN CITADEL

The INDIA bloc led by the DMK in the state refuses to let the BJP in through the door, or cede even an inch to the AIADMK. With two years to go for the assembly election, more Centre-state friction looms on the horizon along with potential political realignments

- Amarnath K. Menon

Chief Minister M.K. Stalin’s rallying cry of ‘Naarpathum Namathe’ (All Forty are Ours) resounded loudly, enabling his Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam-led Secular Progressive Alliance (SPA) to sweep all 39 Lok Sabha constituencies in Tamil Nadu, along with the lone Puducherry seat. For the All India Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), hoping to reverse its fortunes after the 2019 setback—when it had won just one seat, down from 37 in 2014—this complete rout proved to be yet another disappointment.

In the wake of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s push into the southern citadel, the contest was also seen as a clash between Hindutva and the Dravidian ideology. Denying the saffron party a toehold, the DMK chief came up trumps in that battle too. “It’s a massive, historic victory for our DMK-led alliance,” Stalin declared after the win. “The BJP’s plan to rewrite the Constitution and its hate campaign failed to cut ice with people.”