For the DMK, the challenge is distant, geographically and in time. According to the News18 Mega exit polls prediction, the party is set for a comfortable win in the Lok Sabha election. The polls give it a massive 51 percent of the votes and at least 36 of the 39 seats.
But a loss for INDIA block at the national level would mean a new set of problems lying in wait. For one, the party will have to deal with a more aggressive Governor, RN Ravi, who has been a constant thorn in its flesh. Another five years of the NDA would be another spell of administrative issues being thrown up by the occupant of Raj Bhavan for the next two years of the DMK government.
Also, the central enforcement agencies have been chasing DMK ministers relentlessly, bringing up old cases and conducting searches. The DMK is hoping for a change of government that would take the heat off. Also, the party is hopeful of some plum portfolios in the event of the INDIA block coming to power. If the exit polls turn out to be true, then it would mean a couple of years more of constant pressure from the centre and the Governor.
Politically, the DMK cannot take much solace from the exit polls that forecast a rise in the number of seats for the BJP, and more worryingly, an increase in its vote share. For about a year now, it is the BJP's state president K Annamalai who has been going hammer and tongs at the DMK, more than even Edappadi Palaniswamy, the AIADMK leader.
A weakening AIADMK rather than a rising BJP would be the DMK's preferred rival in a fast changing political landscape.
In any case, for a party that won 38 of 39 seats in the last Lok Sabha election in 2019, even a loss of a handful of constituencies would seem like a setback.
To the DMK's credit, it made a brave attempt at countering the BJP in the election campaign. The party tried to maximise the yield of the INDIA block by taking over the most difficult seats from its alliance partners and putting up its candidates in those constituencies. The easier seats were left to the allies. For instance, Coimbatore, which was won by the CPI(M) in 2019, was taken by the DMK as the BJP made a strong bid for the constituency by fielding its state president Annamalai. Even the MNM led by actor-politician Kamal Haasan sought Coimbatore, but the DMK sensed that only a party with a strong organisational structure could take on the BJP in Coimbatore.
This, even if the BJP opens its account in Tamil Nadu, as the exit polls predict, the DMK will not be happy with the outcome. It is not enough for the DMK to win a huge majority of the 39 seats. It wants to keep the BJP out of power in Delhi and prevent it from growing its influence in Tamil Nadu.
Discover the latest Business News, Sensex, and Nifty updates. Obtain Personal Finance insights, tax queries, and expert opinions on Moneycontrol or download the Moneycontrol App to stay updated!
