Where does that leave BJP?
S Gurumurthy remains optimistic. Shortly after Rajinikanth’s announcement, the RSS ideologue tweeted that “1996 could be repeated.”
Before the 1996 elections, Rajinikanth had said that “not even God can save Tamil Nadu if AIADMK returns to power.” The DMK-Tamil Maanila Congress alliance won an overwhelming majority and the AIADMK was reduced to just four seats.
However, while Rajinikanth’s statement may have helped, it is also true that Jayalalithaa was hugely unpopular back then and would have lost anyway.
The superstar can still make some kind of gesture of support for the BJP, but this is unlikely to have a very dramatic impact on the election. Many of Rajinikanth’s fans are those who may have voted for him if he had run for office, but would prefer a Dravidian party to BJP in the actor’s absence.
With Rajinikanth out of the political scene, the BJP’s dependence on the AIADMK and smaller parties, such as the PMK, may increase.
And as for the RSS, the ideological battle against Periyar would now have to be fought largely through the BJP, which recently championed Manusmriti in the state.
With just four months to go to the election and no formidable third force in sight, as of now, it’s an advantage for the DMK, which is well positioned to consolidate much of the votes against the incumbent. Who knows, Gurumurthy may be right and there could be a rerun of 1996 in a very different way than what he means.
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