R ARIVANANTHAM
KANNYAKUMARI, MAR 2
With the guidance of 21st century Chanakya, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, coupled with the Tamil pride, and the ‘En Makkal, En Mann’ campaign of state Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) unit chief K Annamalai, the vote share of the saffron party in Tamil Nadu, the impregnable fort of Dravidian parties for over half a century, has surged from single digit to over 21 percent, say political observers and opinion polls of the leading magazine – India Today.
Kannyakumari is one of the Lok Sabha constituencies among the total 39 in Tamil Nadu. The constituency is a general seat and not reserved for Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs). The Congress, the BJP and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) are the main parties in the constituency. Congress party leader H Vasanthakumar won the Kanniyakumari constituency in 2019. He died in 2020 and his son Vijay Vasanth won a bypoll in 2021 by defeating BJP’s Pon Radhakrishnan, party veteran and former Union Minister.
In the 2014 Lok Sabha Elections, BJP candidate Pon Radhakrishnan won the seat. He was polled 3,72,906 votes with a vote share of 37.62%. Congress candidate H Vasantha Kumar got 2,44,244 votes (24.64%) and was the runner-up. Radhakrishnan defeated Kumar by a margin of 1,28,662 votes. All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) candidate D John Thankam came third with 1,65,688 votes (14.44%) and BSP candidate AP Ahamad was in the fourth position with 18,905 votes (1.65%).
Incidentally, DMK-led alliance had won 38 seats and the rival AIADMK only one and the BJP drew blank in 2019 Lok Sabha polls in TN.
To cash in on the popularity of Narendra Modi following the consecration of Ayodhya temple, the saffron party leaders also contemplating to field Modi from Ramanathapuram, the abode of Lord Shiva and related to Avatara Purush Ram.
As the Lok Sabha elections are round the corner, the race for getting ticket to contest in elections has become hot subject among the political circle.
The Kannyakumari constituency boasts with rich spiritual and cultural back ground. It has strong roots of Hindus and Christians.
Political observers in the district started analyzing the possible contenders in different parties.
As far as Bharatiya Janata Party concerned, the main contenders in the race are – Pon Radhakrishnan, former central minister; Dr Tamilisai Soundarajan, Telangana Governor and Puducherry Lt Governor and Sathish Raja, BJP Minority Wing State Secretary, sources in the party said.
Though the BJP has a policy of not giving seat to those who are above 70 years, the party may consider the request of Pon Radhakrishan, as he had won the seat two times and got the ministerial berth at the centre.
The party is also considering the request from Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan, who is the daughter-of-the-soil and has rich political experience.
Apart from these, the name of young minority wing leader of BJP – Sathish Kumar (39) of South Thamaraikulam, a RC Christian Nadar and his wife is from Hindu Nadar community are doing rounds in the party circles. Sathish Kumar has been working for BJP for the last 12 years holding various posts is said to be State President K Annamalai’s close confidant.
