Narendra Modi and the BJP have nothing to lose from here on. There is a likelihood of the BJP improving its tally in the south (‘Heading south for the summer’, April 28). That the BJP won 29 Lok Sabha seats in the south in 2019 is no less an achievement. But, of these 29 seats, 25 were from a single state—Karnataka, which is often referred to as the laboratory of hindutva in the south.
This time around, the BJP will win one or two seats in Kerala, and it might win five to six seats in Tamil Nadu. After Karnataka, it is in Telangana that the party has the maximum reach—it might get anywhere between seven and eight seats. Of the challengers in the south, I feel Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin could push back Narendra Modi. Pinarayi Vijayan and Siddaramaiah look weak in the face of Modi’s juggernaut. Leaders like Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar and Reddy have risen to the challenge and saved the Congress from sinking in Karnataka and Telangana. Hats off to them.
Prakash Kapadi,
On email.
The Congress-led UDF will win it big in Kerala. The INDIA bloc will get most of the seats in Tamil Nadu. But, strangely, the principal opposition of the Congress in Kerala is the Left.
In Telangana, the BJP and the Congress will be neck and neck. In Andhra Pradesh, the NDA will score, thanks to the two opportunistic parties there—the TDP and the YSR Congress. All said, the BJP cannot become a prominent force in the south for many more years to come.
Rajagopal Vinayak,
On email.
I liked your package on Battleground South. Winning 50 of 130 seats in the region is easier said than done. Yes, the BJP might improve its tally in the south, but it cannot win 50 seats. Voters in Tamil Nadu and Kerala have never accepted the BJP.
Vyom Prakash,
On email.
There is a strong cultural gap between the north and the south. The BJP leaders, including Modi, should not speak in Hindi when they campaign in southern states. I have never seen Amit Shah speak English anywhere. If he speaks in English in the south, it will give him more reach.
Most south Indians prefer English to Hindi. The more the BJP leaders speak in Hindi in south India, the lesser are its chances of doing well in these states.
Guru Chandavarkar,
On email.
Good writeup
Reading Anuja Chauhan’s article in the powerful collection of political tales was a pleasant diversion (‘Dazed in Deccan’, April 28).
It resembled a travelogue, or a small book filled with political allusions. Since I know the locations, it appealed to me even more. The article was fascinating because it was a first-hand account of things that Chauhan saw and experienced. Amid political unrest and the intense heat wave surging across India, her light-hearted banter was quite entertaining. Wish Chauhan had travelled more!
Praveen Thimmaiah,
Bengaluru.
It may backfire
If Mani Shankar Aiyar says that the BJP will not scale the Dravidian wall, then there is a good chance of the BJP crossing it (‘BJP can’t scale Dravidian wall’, April 28). It is better if Aiyar does not say anything in the election season. It backfires big time. The BJP is trying its level best and doing everything to win some seats in Tamil Nadu. Leaders like K. Annamalai can mobilise the masses, and he has a vision for Tamil Nadu. A popular figure, he is successfully wooing young people in the state. He could be the next Member of Parliament from Coimbatore.
Anupa Ravindran,
On email.
Save Bengaluru
As a resident of Bengaluru since 1980, I have witnessed the city’s deterioration because of government apathy (‘Last word’, March 28).
‘Rules are made to be broken’ seems to be the mantra to convert the garden city to garbage city, which is today thirsty, filthy and crowded.
It is our collective responsibility to save the doomed city.
Sarita Bery,
Bengaluru.
It was sad to read about the water woes of Bengaluru. I visited Bengaluru for the first time in 1964 and enjoyed the weather there. It was like a city of lakes. Today the place is a madhouse, with all the expansion. Traffic-clogged streets force us to walk every now and then. The core issue is unscientific waste management.
Laljee Verma (retired air marshal),
On email.
To mitigate the perennial water crisis in Bengaluru, there is a need for urgent intervention and a pragmatic approach. The demand for water is expected to grow by 40 per cent by 2030. Already beset with climate change crisis and population boom, clean water is becoming a luxury.
P.V. Prakash,
On email.
Not that innocent
Initially, after he was arrested, I thought Arvind Kejriwal was framed in a false case (‘Broom, bottle and a capital battle’, April 14). But now, after his bail plea was rejected a few times, I feel he is not all that innocent. Kejriwal committed a big mistake by forming a political party [AAP]. If he had stayed with Anna Hazare, his stature would have increased manifold. And people would have taken him seriously. Why was there even the need to form the AAP? So many have left the party over the years. Many more will in the days to come.
Anosh Ahmed,
On email.