Tamil Nadu: Why Are Some BJP Leaders Joining The AIADMK?

Four leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Tamil Nadu, i.e., the IT Wing head CTR Nirmal Kumar, state secretary Dilip Kannan, OBC state secretary Jyothy, former state secretary Krishnan and Tiruchi suburban district deputy chairman Vijay have recently left the party to join the alliance party All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK).

All of them have said that they were unhappy with the state leadership of the party especially with the functioning of state president K Annamalai. They have accused him of using the party to form a cult around himself instead of strengthening it.

Further, they added that the Edappadi Palaniswami (EPS) faction of the AIADMK is the real opposition in the state, which can take on the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK).

Even seasoned political observers are perplexed as to why is the AIADMK inducting leaders from its alliance partner BJP, when it ought to be focusing on defeating the DMK.

Following are some of the theories floating around-

• EPS is orchestrating these crossovers because he wants to deflect attention from the massive defeat faced by the party in the Erode East bypoll. Erode falls in the Kongu region of western Tamil Nadu, which has been a stronghold of the AIADMK.

• The EPS camp believes that the BJP made attempts to block its claim to the 'two-leaves' symbol as it has reached a tacit understanding with O Panneerselvam (OPS) to undercut them. The EPS camp is also irked by what it sees as BJP's refusal to recognise EPS as the unchallenged leader of the party.

• The alliance between the AIADMK and the BJP is all but over except for an official announcement, which could happen before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

Speaking to reporters, Annamalai said that he is not scared of taking any bold decisions in favour of the party and new persons will be given positions in the party in place of those who have left.

Coimbatore South MLA Vanathi Srinivasan said that it is not uncommon for leaders to change parties and the BJP would not be affected by the departure of few people as more and more people continue to join the party, including from the AIADMK.