BJP to focus more on southern districts, to demand fair share of seats

CHENNAI: The BJP is unlikely to change gears ahead of civic polls, as the party feels at ease in contesting in alliance with the ruling AIADMK, since this will help in concentrating on winnable seats, and make it appear prominent ahead of the 2021 Assembly elections.

Although the saffron party is not in agreement with the government’s decision to dispense with direct elections to the posts of mayors of corporation and chairpersons of municipalities, the government ordinance favouring indirect elections to mayors - chairpersons, rules out any scope for the allies to negotiate for the top posts in urban local bodies. Nevertheless, the AIADMK is likely to garner a lion’s share of seats in the civic polls, a BJP senior said.

“As we are contesting in alliance with the AIADMK, we would concentrate on the wards in the southern districts and other winnable wards spread across the State. The AIADMK which had won the mayoral elections in ten corporations besides chairmen posts in 89 municipalities and 285 town panchayats in addition to thousands of wards in 2011 local bodies elections, has an edge over the opposition DMK,” the senior leader said.

“Also, the combine has DMDK and PMK on board and several factors including Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s achievements and the housing scheme for the poor, may turn advantageous to us,” he added.

During the 2011 civic polls, the BJP had on its own won 15 chairmen posts including two in municipalities and 13 town panchayats. Though the BJP invariably failed to meet its goals during every Assembly or Lok Sabha elections, it had however performed well during the 2011 local bodies elections.

“It doesn’t matter whether we have a new president at the helm or not. The party is gearing up to face the polls and is working as per the target set by our central leadership,” BJP State General Secretary Vanathi Srinivasan said.

Though seat-sharing negotiations would commence only after the election is notified, in so far as the upcoming elections are concerned, the AIADMK combine is a formidable force and has an edge over the opposition DMK, another senior leader pointed out.