Ever since the Modi government stormed to power in 2014, Grand Alliances or Mahagathbandhan have become a hallmark of the Opposition parties aiming to defeat the ever-expanding Bharatiya Janata Party. However, this time around, perhaps for the first time, there are signs that the BJP will be stitching a grand alliance in Tamil Nadu to defeat the alliance of DMK and INC.
Elder son of the late DMK stalwart MK Alagiri – who was overlooked to take over the reigns of the party from Karunanidhi and was subsequently expelled in favour of Karunanidhi’s youngest son — MK Stalin is the latest Tamil leader to throw his hat in the ring for the upcoming Tamil Nadu Assembly Polls.
After superstar Rajinikanth announced his plans to launch his own party to fight the Tamil Nadu Assembly Elections, Alagiri is expected to end his political exile and float his own party.
“If my supporters want me to launch a new party, I will do that but will not support DMK. Neither have I been invited by DMK to rejoin the party,” said Alagiri who stated that he will consult his supporters on January 3 and then decide about launching a new party.
Alagiri also announced his plans to meet Rajinikanth once he returns from his film shoot in Hyderabad. Alagiri, who was DMK’s erstwhile Southern strongman was expelled after a face-off with his younger brother, Stalin and expectedly, Alagiri will only align with a non-DMK front.
While suspense remains over Rajinikanth’s political entry and which side will he align with, from initial indications it is clear that Rajnikanth’s ideology is the polar opposite to that of the DMK. Additionally, his closeness with Prime Minister Modi has further raised hopes that his party will be part of the alliance of the ruling AIADMK-BJP.
Reportedly, Alagiri was earlier aggressively courted by the BJP and it seems that he will eventually join the AIADMK-BJP alliance either in an individual capacity or with his own party.
Things are fast moving towards a formidable Mahagathbandhan in Tamil Nadu consisting of AIADMK, BJP, Rajinikanth, and Alagiri which will make things, even more, trickier for the DMK which is left with only the INC, which over the years has ended up hurting its alliance partners and acted as a parasite with case in point being the 2016 West Bengal elections and the recently concluded Bihar elections. While the DMK can look for support from Kamal Haasan, it is unlikely to change its fortunes as currently, it seems like the NDA will sweep Tamil Nadu come 2021.