The results from Tamil Nadu are on expected lines. The DMK-led grouping, part of the I.N.D.I.A alliance, is leading in all but two of the 39 constituencies. The DMK itself is leading in all 22 it contested and its major partner, Congress, is leading in the nine constituencies in which it fielded its candidates.
The BJP, which was expected to win at least two seats (Tirunelveli and Coimbatore), is not leading in any, but its alliance partner, PMK, is ahead of other contestants in Dharmapuri.
However, the BJP seems to have garnered more than 10 per cent vote-share, which was among its main objectives since political opponents derided it as a “below NOTA” party, as it polled fewer votes than the ‘none of the above’ option. In the 2024 election, the BJP registered 10.75 per cent vote share to become the fourth biggest party in the state after DMK (with 25.77 per cent vote share), AIADMK (20.40 per cent) and Congress (10.82).
It should come as some solace to the BJP that it secured the vote share on its own, only marginally below the Congress, which is piggybacking on the DMK in Tamil Nadu.
In all the three constituencies of Chennai city, the BJP came in second — a performance worthy of note.
The BJP’s longtime Tamil Nadu partner in the NDA grouping, the AIADMK, which broke away just before the elections, has come a cropper, leading in no constituency. Unlike the BJP, the AIADMK is a regional party with strong roots in the state; a zero against its name would rankle the cadres.
AIADMK leader and former chief minister Edappadi Palanisami (EPS) may be expected to face flak from his partymen for breaking ranks with the BJP. Political analysts were near unanimous that had the BJP and AIADMK faced the elections jointly they could have gainfully harvested the anti-DMK votes.
On the other hand, EPS could take heart that his former colleague O Pannerselvam (OPS), who leads a splinter group of AIADMK and hopes to lead the party again, is also staring at defeat. Same for TTV Dhinakaran of the Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagham, who is trailing too. If these men had won they could have vertically split AIADMK.