Chennai: Is the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) trying to appropriate Tamil super star Rajinikanth? Rajinikanth who always stayed away from politics is not giving any indications that he is backing BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi.
BJP posters welcoming Modi to Trichy for a youth rally on Thursday feature both of them.
Tamil Nadu BJP President Pon. Radhakrishnan denies the report that the BJP is trying to woo Rajinikanth. The Trichy meet will be a test of whether Modi can make an impact in Tamil Nadu in terms of attracting votes.
Normally, BJP leaders attract a good crowd in Tamil Nadu. But, they rarely get translated into votes. For the first time, the BJP won four Lok Sabha seats in 1999 in alliance with the DMK.
Modi fans are hoping that he may be a game-changer in the 2014 elections.
The BJP polled a mere 2.09 percent votes in the 2011 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections without an alliance. Surprisingly, it came third in 50 of the 234 constituencies in the state. The BJP had managed to win 4 Assembly seats in 2001.
Modi has an excellent personal rapport with Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and AIADMK chief J Jayalalithaa. But Jayalalithaa is not showing any interest in a pre-poll alliance with the BJP.
According to BJP insiders, Modi is also trying to woo DMDK chief Vijayakanth. The actor turned politician Vijayakanth is also being wooed by the Congress after AICC Vice President Rahul Gandhi had greeted him on his birthday, a month ago.
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