DMK's Fortress Chennai Is Slowly Becoming BJP’s Third Stronghold In Tamil Nadu

Ground Report From Chennai

Dear Reader,

My friend and colleague Rajesh took a long time to research and write this ground report. Looks like it was worth it.

He contends Chennai, which has long been a DMK fortress, is emerging as BJP’s new political stronghold after Coimbatore and Kanyakumari.

Quite audacious a claim, right?

Well, his piece has the numbers that show how, in a stunning shift, BJP’s vote share is rising across the key urban and semi-urban constituencies in Chennai.

In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP tripled its vote share to 11%, pushing AIADMK candidates to third place in key constituencies like South Chennai and Chennai Central.

In fact, in the 22 crucial assembly segments, BJP led in 590 of 4,698 booths, while the AIADMK led in only 13.

By targeting key constituencies like T Nagar and Velachery, the BJP is slowly but surely making strides in the heart of DMK’s stronghold.

What led to this dramatic shift? Local leaders speak of aggressive booth-level strategies—“Enathu Booth Valimayana Booth” drives and focused slum outreach.

But is that all? And what impact will this have on the crucial 2026 Tamil Nadu assembly elections? In any case, Chennai will be the place to watch out for in the 2026 elections.

Read Rajesh's full ground report — a full-length, well-researched, and in-depth read — just what we've been promising our readers.