The Lok Sabha elections of 2024 is just around the corner with all national and regional political parties finishing up with their nomination process along with taking out extensive campaigns and roadshows to reach out to voters with their respective manifestos and promises that they will be fulfilling after coming to majority. From NDA's 400 par slogan to formation of INDIA bloc, several political developments across party lines have taken place in the runup of the Lok Sabha elections with an agenda to revolutionize the politics of India like never before
In the midst of all such developments taking place, the issue of North-South divide came into the picture very recently when BJP came down heavily on Congress for creating this divide on the basis of performance that the latter has been achieving for quite some time. Also It is very interesting to note that since the 2019 general elections, there has been a tendency among voters of the Hindi heartland to vote for BJP as the principal political party since they believe that their ideology of Hindutva is in sync with that of the BJP specially after the issue of Ram Mandir came into the foray along with the promise being made by BJP to construct the historic Ram Mandir in Ayodhya.
But the picture is somewhat different in the Southern States of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Telangana, Karnataka etc., where BJP 's presence is very limited except in few pockets of Karnataka. When it comes to the reason behind this transition, it was felt that the ideological difference among the voters of the South is in contrast with the majoritarian policy of the BJP which believes in imposition of Hindi language and disregarding the fabrics of secularism through Hindutva propaganda.
After the Manipur conflict and the Hijab Controversy, a perception among the minorities to vote for parties of UDF, LDF, DMK+ would play a constructive role towards protecting their status as an Indian Citizen by valuing the ideals of the Indian Constitution. The recent Assembly elections of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka & Telangana in 2021, 2022 & 2023 respectively had proved to be highly detrimental for BJP because of not only losing the elections but also they are at a risk of winning lesser no of seats than that of the seats which INDIA bloc is expected to acquire.
The Hijab Controversy which gained mass popularity among the minorities played a pivotal role in ensuring BJP's defeat in Karnataka. Similarly the mass popularity of Pinarayi Vijayan as a mass leader during the time of crisis (Covid-19, Floods etc ) in Kerala brought him back to power in 2021. Tamil Nadu's dedication towards respecting the dravidian culture and believing the ideals of secularism led to the defeat of AIADMK (an ally of BJP) and in Telangana the rampant corruption of BRS resulted to a formation of a Congress Govt under the leadership of Revant Reddy whose popularity after ensuring guarantees like free electricity, Maha Lakshmi Scheme, subsidised LPG cylinder rates etc. resulted to his victory.
With the combined force of DMK & Congress from Tamil Nadu along with the UDF & LDF from Kerala, the fight for NDA's 400 par relies heavily on how NDA performs in these 2 states. While BJP may eye on their stronghold Karnataka for winning the maximum no of seats, but it is too early to predict the final outcome which can be revealed on the morning of 4th June.
Views expressed in Citizen Junction stories are that of the author and solely of the author, submitted to Jaano Junction through WRITE. Start writing on Jaano Junction to get your opinion published. Click Here to start your citizen journalism journey.
