Chennai, March 18 (IANS) BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi will need to bank on the charisma of actor-turned-politician A. Vijayakanth in the Lok Sabha elections in Tamil Nadu.
The 61-year-old Vijayakanth finds himself in choppy political waters with many of his legislators deserting him. But many believe that the 'Captain', as he is widely known after his movie "Captain Prabhakaran", could end up playing a major role when Tamil Nadu picks 39 members for the Lok Sabha in April.
Bharatiya Janata Party leaders say their party's alliance with Vijayakanth's DMDK and other parties will pose a major challenge to the two main established parties of Tamil Nadu: the AIADMK and the DMK.
The BJP-DMDK alliance is important since tensions now plague relations between the BJP and the AIADMK. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa and Modi were widely known to be friends for a long time.
"This is the first time in Tamil Nadu that a formidable front has been formed against the AIADMK and DMK," BJP state secretary K.T. Raghavan told IANS.
The alliance also includes Vaiko's MDMK, the PMK and smaller outfits such as the IJK and KNMDK.
In 2011, the DMDK was wooed into AIADMK's mega alliance to oust the DMK government. The DMDK won 29 seats to become the second largest in the 235-member assembly. Vijayakanth became the leader of the opposition.
He was the flavour of the election season.
Raghavan explained how Vijayakanth - also known as "Karuppu MGR" (Black MGR) - could help the BJP make major gains in Tamil Nadu.
"There is a committed work force with the DMDK. The BJP can have the comfort of the Modi wave. To convert that wave into votes it needs feet on the ground which the DMDK has," the BJP leader told IANS.
"Further, Vijayakanth has appeal across the state - amongst Dalits, youths and the middle class."
But some argue that the DMDK has been overrated by the BJP. The DMDK is tipped to contest 14 Lok Sabha seats.
"It is a crucial election for Vijayakanth," Ramu Manivannan, a political science professor in the University of Madras, told IANS.
According to him, Vijayakanth's political future hinges on factors like the DMDK winning a considerable number of Lok Sabha seats and the party joining a BJP-led government in New Delhi - if the BJP does take power.
Another BJP leader told IANS: "We are aware of Vijayakanth's political predicaments. But it is a fact that the DMDK polled around 10 percent of votes in the 2009 Lok Sabha election."
"The 10 percent vote share proves there is a sizable segment of people who are in search of an alternative to the AIADMK and DMK," he added.
On his part, 'Captain' Vijayakanth is hoping to steer his DMDK 'ship' from choppy waters.
If he does well in the Lok Sabha battle, he is sure to mount an attack on Fort St. George, the seat of political power in Tamil Nadu, in 2016.
Will not back down from nuclear attack if needed, a statement from Russia raised concern
Russia has made it clear that if necessary, it will not back down from carrying out a nuclear attack on Ukraine. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has told CNN that if there is any kind of threat to
Opposition raises concern over Land Acquisition Ordinance
New Delhi, Feb 22 (IANS) The opposition parties raised concern over the Land Acquisition Ordinance at an all-party meet here Sunday ahead of the budget session of parliament, Parliamentary Affairs
Petrol Diesel Price: Petrol-Diesel prices have not changed even today, know how much are the prices in your city
Oil companies have released the prices of petrol and diesel for today. Today companies have not made any change in oil prices. Recently, the government announced to reduce the prices of petrol and
Four injured in Delhi Building Collapse
New Delhi, Jan 29 (IANS) Four labourers were injured when an under construction building collapsed in south Delhi, police said Thursday.All the four labourers were rushed to a hospital, where the
Big success in Ludhiana blast: Terrorist Multani arrested from Germany; Conspiracy hatched with drug smugglers at the behest of ISI, Mumbai-Delhi were also on target
Sikh for Justice (SFJ) terrorist Jaswinder Singh Multani has been arrested from Germany in connection with the Ludhiana blasts. Multani was apprehended by federal police from Erfurt in central
Delhi Flood: Delhi's systems are slowly coming back on track, Wazirabad water plant started
After the water level of Yamuna in Delhi decreased gradually, now the exercise to bring the arrangements of the capital back on track has intensified. Now information is coming that the Wazirabad
BJP calls for Mamata's grilling in Saradha scam
Kolkata, Jan 31 (IANS) The BJP Saturday called for the interrogation of Trinamool Congress supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over the Saradha scam, a day after party general
Corona In Gurugram - Now only 581 active patients in the district
Gurugram. The number of corona patients coming daily in the district is continuously decreasing. In this sequence, on Wednesday, a minimum of 27 patients came for the last three months and 84 patients
Patna family injected with sedatives, robbed
Patna, Jan 6 (IANS) Unidentified armed men carried out a robbery here Monday night by breaking into a house and injecting the family with sedatives before fleeing with cash and valuables worth
Farmers should encircle Bhopal like Delhi, encircle every state capital: Rakesh Tikait
Rakesh Tikait, who became the face of the farmers who have been agitating on the Delhi border for more than a year, has now made a big announcement in Madhya Pradesh. He has asked the farmers of the
