Tamil Nadu, Kerala & Karnataka: BJP’s Grand Plan To Crack The South Indian Puzzle Set In Motion

Last Updated:April 08, 2025, 12:25 IST

While returning from Sri Lanka, PM Narendra Modi made time to visit the famous Ramanatha Swamy temple in Rameshwaram on Rama Navami. He wore the traditional 'veshti' (dhoti), shirt, and 'angavastram' (worn around the neck).

Prime Minister Narendra Modi offers prayers at the Ramanathaswamy Temple, in Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu. (Image: PMO India)

On Sunday, while returning from Sri Lanka, Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended an event in Tamil Nadu. Amidst a packed schedule, he made time to visit the famous Ramanatha Swamy temple in Rameshwaram on Rama Navami. He wore the traditional ‘veshti’ (dhoti), shirt, and ‘angavastram’ (worn around the neck). The choice of attire is seen as part of BJP’s strategic effort to strengthen its presence in Southern India – a region where the party has struggled to gain a strong foothold.

South India, which includes Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana, contributes 129 of the 543 Lok Sabha seats. This makes the region crucial for the BJP to achieve its national goals, such as securing a supermajority in Parliament. Currently, the BJP only has a minor foothold in Andhra Pradesh, where it is a junior partner to the TDP along with Pawan Kalyan’s Jana Sena Party. In Karnataka, the BJP has had governing opportunities but is presently an opposition party facing internal conflicts.

For the first time, the BJP has launched a multi-pronged approach to make significant electoral gains across all South Indian states, with a focused aim on winning Karnataka, where it believes it has the strongest chance.

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu has been particularly challenging for the BJP to penetrate. On Rama Navami, Prime Minister Modi visited the state and inaugurated the new Pamban rail bridge in Rameswaram. This bridge, built at a cost of Rs 531 crore over the Palk Strait, is India’s first vertical lift sea bridge and connects Rameswaram Island with Ramanathapuram on the mainland. Modi also initiated the expansion of Highway 40 into a four-lane road stretching from Walajahpet near Chennai to the Andhra Pradesh border and inaugurated three other highway projects in Tamil Nadu that have been upgraded to four lanes.

Wearing the Veshti and angavastram symbolised Modi’s effort to appeal to Tamil sentiments. This visit to the Ramanatha Swamy temple was his second in just over a year. He had previously visited the temple last year before the Pran Pratishta of the Sri Ram Temple in Ayodhya.

Ahead of a full organisational change, BJP’s state president K Annamalai resigned who is learnt to have asked by the party to step down. It was seen as a strategic move to potentially re-align with its former ally AIADMK. In March, AIADMK leader Edappadi K Palaniswami met with Amit Shah in Delhi. Shah is scheduled to visit Chennai for two days this month, where he will likely meet with Palaniswami again to finalise an alliance ahead of the next election.

Kerala

In Kerala, where the BJP has historically struggled, the party achieved a milestone in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections by securing its first-ever MP from the state – Suresh Gopi from Thrissur. Gopi, a popular Malayalam film actor-turned-politician, drove the victory. However, his celebrity status alone did not secure the win. The BJP modified its strategies, tempering its Hindutva image and reaching out to the Christian community.

One key issue was ‘love jihad,’ initially raised by Church authorities in Kerala. The BJP strongly supported the Church on this matter. The Waqf Amendment Bill also provided common ground between the two. Former Union Minister KJ Alphonse and MP Suresh Gopi were involved in efforts to clarify any misunderstandings about the Bill. The Munambam land dispute in Ernakulam district was a focal point, where the Kerala State Waqf Board claimed ownership of around 400 acres of land affecting over 600 families, mainly Christians and some Hindus. The BJP aligned with the Kerala Catholic Bishops’ Council (KCBC) on this issue, prompting many Munambam residents to join the BJP as a gesture of gratitude.

The BJP’s toned-down Hindutva messaging became evident when the Kerala BJP suspended a local leader who called for a legal ban on a controversial film. Unlike its hardline stance on the 2002 Godhra attack, the BJP maintained that the film should be viewed as just a film.

Karnataka

Karnataka is currently the most significant target for the BJP among southern states. The party believes it can leverage anti-incumbency sentiments created by controversial decisions such as the 4 per cent Muslim Reservation and financial moves like hiking milk prices and imposing a garbage tax in Bangalore.

The RSS have held its top meeting while the BJP is likely to hold its own in Bengaluru within a month. The RSS conducted a three-day meeting of the Akhil Bharatiya Pratinidhi Sabha, its highest decision-making body, starting March 21.

“Hindu awakening" was a key agenda point, coinciding with the Congress government’s introduction of reservations for Muslims. Top RSS leaders, including Mohan Bhagwat and Dattatreya Hosabale, were present.

The BJP is also likely to hold its Executive Meeting in Bengaluru starting April 18.

Despite recent setbacks such as expelling powerful MLA Basanagouda Patil R Yatnal, who is now considering launching a regional party, the party remains confident citing the BJP-JD(S) alliance which secured a 51.5 per cent vote share against Congress’s 45.4 per cent in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The BJP also won by-elections like Channapatna in 2024.

The Lingayats, who comprise about 17 per cent of Karnataka’s population, have traditionally supported the BJP. Despite some drift towards Congress in 2023, the BJP is leveraging Yediyurappa’s influence to retain this vote bank. Following the organizational reshuffle, sources suggest that Karnataka’s party president, Vijayendra, a Lingayat, will remain unchanged.

With its organisational strength and Modi’s national appeal, the BJP has set its sights on a comeback in the Karnataka assembly, starting its Mission 2028 early.

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