BJP plans major outreach in Tamil Nadu, Amit Shah to visit

NEW DELHI: Seeking to project itself as an alternative to Dravidian parties, the BJP has planned a major outreach programme in Tamil Nadu ahead of next year's Assembly polls, with party president Amit Shah likely to visit the state soon.

Tamil Nadu has elected only Dravidian governments in the last nearly 50 years.

During his visit, dates of which have not been finalised yet, Shah will reach out to a cross section of voters, with special emphasis on Dalits.

"Our national president (Amit Shah) is going to visit Tamil Nadu to reach out to Scheduled Caste people. His visit is on the cards," BJP general secretary in-charge of party affairs in Tamil Nadu P Muralidhar Rao told PTI here.

Asked if Shah would also visit rural areas, Rao said, "When I say reach out, it will not be confined to the capital (alone)."

"We will be having regular reach out programmes aimed at creating an opinion among the people that there is an alternative (in Tamil Nadu)," Rao said, adding the state desperately needed one.

BJP has already begun identifying the assembly segments where it feels it could do well.

According to sources, all Assembly constituencies would be divided into three categories-- A+, A and B-- based on various parameters including votes the party got in the Lok Sabha elections last year.

While Coimbatore, Kanniyakumari, Ramanathapuram and Vellore districts, where BJP secured sizable votes in Lok Sabha elections fall within the A+ bracket, constituencies in other areas have been categorised as A or B.

Besides Shah, Union ministers from the party would also be visiting the state. About 5000 active members would fan out to different Assembly seats to strengthen the party organisation and build a larger support base, sources said.

The BJP had contested the LS elections as part of a rainbow alliance comprising DMDK, MDMK and PMK. Of the 39 seats, BJP had contested seven and won Kanniyakumari.

While MDMK has since walked out of the NDA, the other major ally PMK has been critical of the Narendra Modi government on various issues.

Earlier this year, PMK decided to form an alternative front for the Assembly elections, likely in the middle of next year, and even declared former Union minister and its lone MP, Anbumani Ramadoss as its chief ministerial candidate.