After massive win, AIADMK leader to leverage strength in Rajya Sabha

After tasting a stupendous victory in the Lok Sabha elections, Chief Minister Jayalalithaa wasted no time in taking the lead to usher in a period of cordiality between the Centre and the State when she greeted the prime minister-elect Narendra Modi on the BJP’s “magnificent victory.”

Ms. Jayalalithaa on Friday wished Mr. Modi and the government under his stewardship “the very best” and noted that she looked forward to an “era of meaningful cooperation” between the Centre and the State.

In doing so, Ms. Jayalalithaa was trying to maximise the benefits to the party when it achieved the best-ever performance in the Lok Sabha elections, winning 37 of the 39 seats in Tamil Nadu in a clear and comprehensive sweep bearing her personal imprint.

Asked about the significance of the excellent show and what that portended, a senior AIADMK leader pointed out that the results were verily the progress report on the performance of the State government in the past three years. Her stewardship even baulked at the Narendra Modi wave that had otherwise swept the nation. Ms. Jayalalithaa herself pointed out in the interaction with the media that the voters had rewarded her for good governance during the past three years.

In addition, the strategy she had adopted to win over the voters also paid off. That she courted success even after Election Commission norms restrained her from individually identifying the AIADMK candidates during her campaign made the victory sweeter, he noted.

The single-point anti-DMK and anti-Congress rhetoric appealed to the electorate throughout the State, he said. Her campaign style connected her with the audience. Also, the voters must have seen in her a potentially powerful political personality in the Centre post-polls.

Indisputably, Ms. Jayalalithaa was miles ahead of other party leaders such as the former Deputy Chief Minister, M.K. Stalin, MDMK general secretary Vaiko and DMDK president Vijayakanth in terms of strategy and preparedness, the source pointed out.

The senior functionary also rubbished any theory that money would have tilted the scales in favour of the ruling party. “See the huge margins and widespread acceptance. They transcend factors such as caste, region and cash.”

The strong campaign in which she listed the problems the State faced because of the disobliging attitude of the Congress-led Central government struck a chord with rural voters especially. Ms. Jayalalithaa’s assertive attitude, manifested in issues such as Cauvery, Mullaperiyar, Sri Lankan Navy attacks on Indian fishermen, appealed to the urban voters, though most of them had not seen any solution. Ultimately, they voted in large numbers for the AIADMK, he reasoned.

Without doubt, Ms. Jayalalithaa would take forward the gains by leveraging her party’s strength in the Rajya Sabha, where the BJP would need help in passing important Bills. She would remain assertive in protecting the State’s vital interests, but the new government at the Centre will be more forthcoming in considering her genuine demands, the party senior said.