NEW DELHI: After pushing organisation cohesion and laying out BJP’s agenda in West Bengal, home minister Amit Shah will be in another poll-bound state Tamil Nadu for two days from Sunday to give shape to the party’s strategy, where it is a junior partner to AIADMK, but will have to play a key role in guiding the alliance that faces a host of knotty issues.Shah’s schedule includes attending the closing ceremony of a state-wide yatra in Pudukkottai – which was led by BJP Tamil Nadu president Nainar Nagendran and has championed Tamil pride to counter the governing DMK-led alliance’s projection of the party as an organisation arraigned against the state’s values; presiding over a meeting of key BJP leaders and attending Pongal celebration.Sources said key BJP allies, including AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami, may also meet Shah.His visit to the southern state is expected to push efforts for NDA’s expansion, which has hit roadblocks. While PMK, a BJP ally in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls when AIADMK had fought separately, has split into two factions, one led by its founder S Ramadoss and the other by his son Anbumani Ramadoss, another prospective ally DMDK, founded by actor Vijayakant and now headed by his widow Premallatha Vijayakant, is yet to finalise its stand. That BJP and Palaniswami, known as EPS, do not see eye to eye on the course the alliance must take to put up a strong contest against the DMK-Congress-Left alliance amid emergence of popular actor Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), which has succeeded in draw a few regional satraps, especially from AIADMK, to its fold.While BJP is believed to be a votary of former AIADMK functionaries like O Panneerselvam and TTV Dhinakaran, who either quit or were expelled from the party due to their differences with EPS, returning to their parent party to project a picture of organisational unity and revival, EPS remains wary of welcoming them back, apprehending that they may challenge his grip over AIADMK.Union minister Piyush Goyal was in Tamil Nadu recently after being appointed as BJP’s election in-charge of the state and met EPS, NDA functionaries from the state are of the view that it will require Shah to step in and reach out to current and prospective allies to expand NDA. With his proven political skills and electoral track record, Shah has the authority and mojo to get them around to joining ranks for defeating DMK, which someone like EPS may lack despite AIADMK being the senior partner as his party has struggled to challenge CM M K Stalin.BJP brass will also need to bring its own house in order as its former president Annamalai, popular among the core BJP supporters, has been lying low and, at times, skipped key meetings.
