Chennai, Aug 23 The Tamil Nadu BJP is buoyed up by the huge public participation in the first phase of the padayatra undertaken by its state unit chief K. Annamalai.
The first phase of the yatra named ‘En Mann, Enn Makkal’ (My land, My people), which was flagged off by Union Home Minister Amit Shah at Rameswaram on June 28, concluded on Tuesday at Tirunelveli after traversing through Ramanathapuram, Sivaganga, Madurai, Virudhunagar, Thoothukudi, Kanniyakumari and Tirunelveli districts, passing through 41 Assembly constituencies in 22 days.
The second phase of the yatra will commence from Alangulam in Tenkasi district on September 3.
Amar Prasad Reddy, BJP leader and joint coordinator of the yatra, said that the second phase will pass through Tenkasi, Virudhunagar, Madurai, Theni, Dindigul, The Nilgiris and Coimbatore districts.
He said the yatra will conclude at Singanallur constituency in Coimbatore district on September 27.
R. Ponnusamy, a retired professor of political science and Director at the Institute of Social Studies, Kanniyakumari, told IANS, “The padayatra undertaken by Annamalai has been a rousing success in the districts through which it traversed.
"The BJP will now have to take off from this point and have a proper electoral understanding with the AIADMK in order to upset the DMK in the 2024 general elections.”
He also said that Annamalai with his hard-hitting speeches and anti-corruption position has endeared himself to the masses and is emerging as a big leader in Tamil Nadu.
State BJP Vice President Narayanan Thirupathy told IANS that Annamalai is being loved by the people of the state and he has proved through his actions that he can bring about the necessary change that the people want.
He also said that Annamalai is emerging as the hope for Tamil Nadu and the impact of the yatra would reverberate in the 2024 general elections in the state.
With the second phase of the yatra commencing on September 3, it remains to be seen how the BJP pitches itself in certain districts where the party does not have much support base.
C. Rajeev, Director at the Centre for Policy and Development Studies, told IANS, "The BJP President’s yatra has given a fresh impetus to the party in Tamil Nadu and if proper ground work is done, it can create upsets in several Lok Sabha seats.”
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