Southern Toehold

The BJP has an ally in the state, but it might need more to thwart the DMK-Congress combine.

- Amarnath K. Menon

On February 4, reckoned as the most propitious thai amavasya (full moon day) in 400 years, the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) began receiving applications (for a fee of Rs 25,000) from ticket aspirants and discussing the draft of the manifesto for the forthcoming Lok Sabha election. This even as it began crucial talks to forge an alliance with the BJP.

The alliance has a compelling logic. The AIADMK has lacked a charismatic leader after the death of J. Jayalalithaa, who had helped the party win 37 of the state’s 39 seats in 2014. And the BJP, desperate for a toehold in the South, needs an ally to take on the DMK (Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam).