In Tamil Nadu, BJP tries to dispel ‘Brahmin party’ perception with no candidate from the community

The absence of Brahmin candidates from the BJP and All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) lists in Tamil Nadu has left the community in a state of dilemma.

The absence of Brahmin candidates from the BJP and All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) lists in Tamil Nadu has left the community in a state of dilemma. Many anticipate a potential split in the anti-Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) votes as a result.

“We are a little upset and unhappy,” Pammal S. Ramakrishnan, state coordinator for the Thamizhnadu Brahmin Association (Tambras), told ThePrint. “Over the past 30 years, we have been hardcore supporters of the AIADMK and BJP. They were in an alliance, and both parties are friendly with us.”

The Brahmin community, he said, had hopes that the BJP would accommodate candidates from the community as there were talks of fielding H. Raja from Chennai South and Karthikeyan from Mayiladuthurai. “But after some alliance talks and confusion, suddenly the Hyderabad governor came and she was very keen on South Chennai. She should have gone to her community belt in Tirunelveli, Kanyakumari, or Thoothukudi,” Ramakrishnan said, adding that Mayiladuthurai was given to BJP’s ally Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK).

Now, said Ramakrishnan, even though his association has announced its support to the BJP, the Brahmin community is in a dilemma since both AIADMK and BJP are friendly towards the community. He added that AIADMK has better candidates in many places. However, in constituencies such as Chennai South, and Kancheepuram, where there are many Brahmin voters, both AIADMK and BJP candidates might lose. He said the Association is planning to come up with ideas for consolidating the anti-DMK votes.

However, Narayan Thirupathy, the BJP spokesperson in Tamil Nadu, told ThePrint that the party “doesn’t see caste while choosing candidates”.

“BJP never fields a candidate seeing their caste identity. There is no doubt that Brahmins were supporting the party. They will be supporting us, and there is no doubt about that. We had Brahmin candidates in other elections. But in this election, it so happens that there are no Brahmin candidates. And it doesn’t mean that we have neglected them. BJP never believes in caste politics,” Thirupathy said.

AIADMK spokesperson Kovai Sathyan, too, said the party didn’t consider caste while selecting candidates and added that there are no constituencies dominated by Brahmins in Tamil Nadu.

In assembly elections, there are constituencies such as Mylapore and Kumbakonam that are dominated by Brahmins. But it’s not the case in Parliamentary polls, Sathyan said.