LS poll dates in: Beyond BJP and Congress, this is the lay of the land for regional parties

Across the country, regional parties, or those parties that have a presence in just one or two states, have had to make a choice between either tying up with the BJP, or if ideologically opposed to it, choosing the Congress corner. Several, though, have found safety in staying in the middle, while leaning more towards the dominant BJP at the Centre.

A look at how these parties are placed as Lok Sabha elections approach:

While the BJP has been trying to make inroads into Tamil Nadu ever since illness faded Jayalalithaa’s clout and allowed the party to pull the AIADMK to its side, the DMK that came to power in 2021 has held on in the state. In fact, the strong pro-Tamil sentiment in the state is believed to have hurt the AIADMK in its alliance with the BJP, prodding it to split from the party.

However, closer to elections, and with an aggressive new state chief, K Annamalai, in command, the BJP has managed to stay in the narrative. The DMK’s self-goals in the form of statements by its leaders calling for “eradication” of Sanatan Dharma and warning against a strong Centre, have been played up by the BJP as anti-Hindu and pro-separatism, respectively. The BJP believes this will help it strike rich at a time when the Ayodhya Ram Temple fervour has also found resonance in the state. Modi made several trips to Tamil Nadu in the run-up to the polls.

The Congress will hope that its DMK-led alliance holds on – in 2019, the tie-up, also comprising the Left parties, swept Tamil Nadu, winning 38 of the 39 seats. The NDA, then including the AIADMK, won just 1 seat. The BJP drew a blank.

This time, with the AIADMK out, the BJP is in talks with the AIADMK spin-offs led by O Paneerselvam and T T V Dhinakaran.

The Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool