Chennai: Electrifying the poll scene in Tamil Nadu, BJP on Thursday stitched a formidable alliance of seven parties for the April 24 Lok Sabha polls, throwing up a stiff challenge to traditional turf leaders DMK and AIADMK besides the Congress.
BJP`s success in bringing two divergent partners--DMDK and PMK--under NDA fold ensured votes did not split in a contest that it hopes would give it a significant number of members as it rides on the Narendra Modi wave in the wake of the Prime Ministerial nominee`s two well-attended public rallies in the state.
The BJP-led combine comprised of actor-politician Vijayakant`s DMDK, PMK founded by S Ramadoss, Vaiko-led MDMK and IJK and KMDK, two local parties, decided to join the NDA fold, burying their differences especially on their wish-list constituencies.
Elated over the seven-party rainbow alliance, BJP president Rajnath Singh described it as a "historic" moment not only for Tamil Nadu but also for the entire country to oust the Congress-led UPA which, he said, was immersed in a series of scams while leaving the economy in a "mess".
Announcing the alliance and also the constituencies allotted at a press conference here in the presence of leaders of its alliance parties, Singh said BJP stands for "coalition dharma" unlike Congress.
The BJP was committed for federal structure and it has already proved that it could run efficiently a coalition government during A B Vajpayee`s regime, he said, assuring that the saffron party would respect its partners.
Interestingly, BJP managed to bring DMDK and PMK, parties which are poles apart, under the umbrella of the alliance which also comprises of MDMK, IJK and KMDK.
Under the seat-sharing agreement agreed upon by the allies, DMDK was given the lion`s share of 14 out of 39 seats, followed by BJP and PMK at eight each. MDMK will be fighting from seven seats while IJK and KMDK will field candidates from one constituency each.
Singh made the announcement flanked by allies Vijayakanth (DMDK), Anbumani Ramadoss (PMK), Vaiko (MDMK) and Paariventhar and Easwaran from IJK and KMDK, respectively. However, PMK founder S Ramadoss was conspicuous by his absence.
Singh said the fishermen`s issue and the Sri Lankan Tamils issue would top BJP`s agenda and accused the Congress of failing to ensure their interests.
He promised that the BJP, if voted to power, would impress upon Sri Lanka for the welfare of Tamils, reflecting on an emotive issue being played by the Dravidian parties here in the run up to the elections.
He also attacked UPA for the spate of scams allegedly involving the ruling coalition and said people were no more prepared to live with the scandals and charged Congress government with failure of modernising India`s armed forces.
"The entire country is yearning for a decisive change. People are determined to unseat UPA. In South, including in Tamil Nadu, new alliances are emerging. People want to see an NDA government with Modi as Prime Minister," he said.
Seeking to mollify the feelings of senior leader L K Advani over his desire to shift from Gandhinagar to Bhopal, Singh said the party has left it with the patriarch to take a call.
"It is the choice of Advaniji to choose from where he wants to contest," he said when asked about reports about the leader not willing to contest from Gujarat as decided by the Central Election Committee yesterday.
The BJP-led alliance is hoping to put up a good show in the elections riding on the strong influence wielded by the respective parties in pockets of the state.
For instance, PMK and DMDK have a considerable hold in northern Tamil Nadu while KMDK is believed to have the backing of a particular community in the Western belt.
On Thursday`s firming up allows the parties to prepare a common campaign strategy across the state with a month to go for polls even as DMDK and PMK have already hit the campaign trail.
BJP intends to invite Modi to address one or two election rallies, considering that his earlier shows at Tiruchirappally and Vandalur had evoked good response.
