Keep friends close, foes closer

DMK can rely on Congress to a higher degree because of the "brotherhood" Stalin and Rahul now share EPS understands that getting the coalition arithmetic right is crucial for winning elections

tions. AIADMK's parting of ways with the BJP ahead of the Lok Sabha elections cost both the parties dearly although the former was wiser in thinking it is better off without the national party in the long run. However, its electoral woes may prolong if it fails to pull other key parties into its alliance. Moreover, attracting the votes of religious minorities, who are rallying behind the DMK-led alliance, will remain a pipe dream if it is not surefooted in its criticism of the BJP.

The BJP, on the other hand, saw its inflated electoral expectations, banking on the popularity of its young state president K. Annamalai, bursting in the Lok Sabha elections, in which its performance was lukewarm and failed to surpass even its show in 2014, when it allied with neither of the Dravidian majors.