BJP makes ambitious plans in Tamil Nadu, but has little ground presence

Given the sway that Dravidian ideology still held over swathes of the electorate, does the BJP expect the RSS's world view to impact voters?

Tamil Nadu — weighed down by history, dominated by an ideology that advocated autonomy, and split by caste hostilities — is an enigma to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which has not yet made a mark on its own. Buoyed by the BJP’s renewed mandate, despite drawing a blank in Tamil Nadu, its leaders in the state claimed they should strike roots without using a crutch at this “most opportune” time. “This is the message we have disseminated to our workers — that we have to stand on our legs without an ally. If an alliance has to be struck