The Narendra Modi government on Wednesday nominated four eminent personalities to the Rajya Sabha. These celebrities are well-known athlete PT Usha, music composer Ilaiyaraaja, philanthropist Virendra Hegde and famous screenwriter-director V. Vijayendra Prasad. One thing that is common among these four faces is that they all have to be from South India. In this way, on the pretext of nomination to the Rajya Sabha, BJP has tried to give even more edge to its ‘Mission South’.

PT Usha is from Kerala. Ilaiyaraja hails from Tamil Nadu and belongs to the Dalit community. Hegde is the head of the famous shrine temple of Karnataka. Talk if V. Vijayendra Prasad comes from Andhra Pradesh. He is known for his super-duper films like ‘Bahubali’ series, ‘RRR’, ‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan’. All four are strong and influential figures in their respective fields. With the help of these, BJP wants to cultivate the 5 states of the South – Karnataka, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Telangana.

There are 129 Lok Sabha seats in these five states. In the last Lok Sabha elections, the BJP could win only 30 of these seats. Of these 30, 26 seats (including an independent MP backed by the BJP) are from Karnataka alone. The role of these states will be very important in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. BJP is trying to increase its base here.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah had prepared the strategy of ‘Mission South’ of BJP while being the BJP President. Now JP Nadda is implementing the same strategy. How serious is the BJP about expanding its footprint in the South, it can be gauged from the fact that Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself, Home Minister Amit Shah and party President JP Nadda are leading ‘Mission South’. The BJP’s national executive meeting held recently in Hyderabad was also an attempt to give edge to this mission of the party.

In fact, since its formation in 1980, the BJP has been continuously trying to increase its penetration in the South. It is the result of his continuous efforts that Karnataka has now become a strong stronghold of BJP. Karnataka is the only southern state where BJP has tasted power and is currently in power there. Karnataka has 28 Lok Sabha seats, out of which 26 are occupied by BJP+. By the way, lotus has blossomed in the Union Territory of Puducherry and now there is a BJP government in this UT.

In Telangana and Tamil Nadu, nothing special has been done. Karnataka and Telangana are to have assemblies in 2023. Like Karnataka, BJP is trying to taste power in Telangana as well. That’s why BJP is putting its full force in Telangana. In the 2019 elections in Telangana with 17 Lok Sabha seats, the BJP had won 4 seats. The attempt of the party is to increase this figure in 2024 and before that in the 2023 assembly elections, it is to occupy the power here. Nadda and Shah are constantly touring Telangana. BJP general secretary BL Santosh is also determined to make this southern state a fertile ground for the party. The main contest in Telangana is between the ruling TRS and the BJP. This is the reason why PM Modi had made very sharp attacks on the TRS government of the state and Chief Minister KCR in the Vijay Sankalp rally of July 3 and May 26 rally in Hyderabad.

There are 25 Lok Sabha seats in Andhra Pradesh. In the 2019 elections, BJP had failed to even open an account here. However, in 2014, it had won two seats in Andhra Pradesh. The BJP is trying to project itself here as an alternative to Jaganmohan Reddy’s YSR Congress.

 

Assembly elections are due in Kerala and Tamil Nadu in 2026. In both these states, BJP is throwing its power. In 2024, the party’s eye will be on opening an account in Kerala. There are total 20 Lok Sabha seats in Kerala. Here gradually BJP is able to increase its vote share but till now it has not been able to end the drought of victory. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is an MP from Wayanad seat of Kerala. Therefore, BJP is trying to encircle Rahul Gandhi not only by increasing his base here but also to become a strong challenger to the ruling Left Front.

Tamil Nadu has 39 Lok Sabha seats. In the last election, BJP could not win a single seat here. However, the party has high hopes from K Annamalai, the young leader who took charge of the state BJP. Annamalai, who was an IPS officer of Karnataka cadre, resigned from his job and entered politics. This 38-year-old former flamboyant IPS officer is trying to create a strong cadre base of BJP in Tamil Nadu. By sending Ilaiyaraaja to Rajya Sabha, BJP has tried to reach Tamil Nadu itself.

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