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CHENNAI: At India’s confederate tip, Kanyakumari stands isolated successful elections. Unlike different parts of Tamil Nadu wherever the Dravidian majors combat it out, 2 nationalist parties are astatine the forefront of the canvass battle.
While Congress pitches the secular plank, BJP strives for Hindu unity, and TVK plays the alternate card. BJP is contesting 4 of the six assembly seats here, portion its main state AIADMK has a campaigner successful 1 constituency. In the sixth, BJP’s state Tamil Maanila Congress is contesting connected the lotus symbol. In the different camp, DMK has allotted 3 seats to Congress, choosing to contention 2 segments and giving the sixth to CPM.
The comparatively stronger beingness of Congress and BJP has demographic and humanities reasons. Christians represent astir 47% of the district’s population. As Christians person been traditionally backing Congress, Hindus gravitated towards BJP.
The roots of right-wing authorities present tin beryllium traced to 1972 — 8 years earlier the founding of BJP — erstwhile RSS’s Eknath Ranade inaugurated the Vivekananda Rock Memorial successful Kanyakumari, amid absorption from Christians, who believed the stone was their beatified site.
In the pursuing decade, respective Hindu nadars converted to Christianity. Politically they supported Congress, which positioned itself arsenic the protector of minorities.
The Mandaikadu riots betwixt Hindus and Christians successful 1982 cemented the BJP-Congress rivalry. BJP got its archetypal MLA successful Tamil Nadu, C Velayuthan, from Kanyakumari successful 1996. In 1999, BJP’s Pon Radhakrishnan won the Lok Sabha spot and went connected to go aUnion minister.
Congress had its stock of humanities reasons to summation prominence here. Travancore Tamil Nadu Congress, led by Marshal Nesamony, which was warring for the integration of Kanyakumari (then with Travancore) with TN, merged his enactment with Congress successful the 1950s, triggering the nationalist party’s growth. In the ensuing polls, Congress and BJP are banking connected their accepted strengths; some besides anticipation to payment from the ballot divided TVK is expected to effect. PM Narendra Modi held a roadshow successful the territory connected April 15 and Congress’ Rahul Gandhi is scheduled to run present connected April 20. On the ground, BJP and RSS workers are reaching retired to Hindu families, targeting Cong-DMK implicit “failed promises” and anti-incumbency. Congress, for 3 seats, arsenic successful 2021, relies connected its ballot slope and the secular slogan. Publicly, it targets BJP and AIADMK policies portion privately lobbying among Christian priests, asking them not to backmost TVK candidates. TVK’s introduction has made the contention absorbing arsenic it eyes enactment crossed sections.
