New Delhi. After the announcement of Lok Sabha elections, all the parties have started their preparations in full swing. BJP is trying to establish its foothold in South India. This evening Prime Minister Modi will also hold a road show in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. This is his first political participation in the state after the announcement of the seven-phase Lok Sabha election schedule. Both NDA and Indi alliances have not yet announced their candidates for this seat. It is worth noting that in the last general elections, the BJP had contested in alliance with the AIADMK in the state and did not win any seats in 2019. However, they parted ways in September 2023, forcing the BJP to contest the elections independently, even against smaller parties like the Tamil Nadu Congress.
Under Annamalai’s leadership in the state unit, the BJP is attempting to make significant progress in Tamil Nadu. According to experts, the BJP’s decision to contest alone in Tamil Nadu, especially against smaller parties, could potentially help it win about 5 seats in a triangular contest against the DMK-led INDI alliance and the AIADMK-led opposition. Can.
Why is Coimbatore important for BJP?
In the last two Lok Sabha elections, BJP got almost one-third of the votes in Coimbatore. However, due to the triangular contest in 2014, it came closer to AIADMK’s expectations. Incidents of stone pelting at mosques and churches were reported in Coimbatore in 2016 after the murder of Hindu Munnani spokesperson C. Sasikumar. In its charge sheet, the NIA named members of the banned extremist organization Popular Front of India (PFI) as accused.
More than 55 people lost their lives in multiple bomb blasts during Lal Krishna Advani’s visit to Coimbatore in 1998. After this, local BJP leader C.P. Radhakrishnan was elected to the Lok Sabha twice in 1998 and 1999. However, after 2004 he failed to retain his seat. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, he was defeated by DMK’s P.R. Lost to Natarajan.
In the 2021 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, BJP candidate and women’s wing president Vanathi Srinivasan defeated actor and Makkal Needhi Maiam leader Kamal Haasan in the Coimbatore South constituency. The contest was between Haasan, Srinivasan and Mayura Jayakumar of Congress. To avoid division of votes, INDI alliance can field only one candidate from this seat, whereas BJP is trying its best to win this seat once again. In the 2021 assembly elections (234-member Tamil Nadu Assembly), the BJP won a total of four seats, including one from Coimbatore.