DMK’s Tamil alternative for VP doesn’t get consensus | Powertrip #115

Welcome to this week’s Powertrip, a political newsletter exclusively curated for TNM and NL subscribers by Dhanya Rajendran, Pooja Prasanna, and Shabbir Ahmed. While the DMK’s alternative Tamil Vice-President candidate did not get consensus, the India bloc’s candidate – retired Supreme Court judge Justice B Sudershan Reddy – did not find favour from any party in Andhra Pradesh, from where Reddy hails. In Karnataka, the BJP’s response to the Dharmasthala controversy has been both delayed and inadequate — too little, too late..Inside TrackExclusive stories, for your eyes only.DMK fails in attempt to push alternative Tamil VP candidateThe NDA fielding Maharashtra Governor CP Radhakrishnan for the post of Vice-President had put the DMK in a catch-22 situation. Ahead of the Tamil Nadu Assembly election, NDA’s move achieved two crucial objectives: first, they fielded a well-known face from the Kongu Vellalar Gounder community to address the resentment caused by forcing Annamalai, who also belongs to the same community, to step down as BJP state president; second, they played the Tamil card, which has caught the DMK off guard.The dilemma DMK faced is that if they did not support CP Radhakrishnan, the AIADMK and BJP would push the narrative that they refused to vote for a Tamilian. But if they backed Radhakrishnan’s candidature, they risked criticism from their own allies – the Congress, Left, and VCK. Apart from that, the new entrant in Tamil Nadu politics, TVK, has already accused the DMK of having a backdoor deal with the BJP.The personal relationship between DMK leaders and CP Radhakrishnan also complicated matters. Though he comes from the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh’s ranks, he shared a bond with the late DMK chief M Karunanidhi and his family members, including current Chief Minister MK Stalin.In response, the DMK quickly sought to make a counter move by proposing a candidate from Tamil Nadu and pushing for consensus within the INDIA alliance. Sources in the DMK told TNM that the party’s parliamentary leader Kanimozhi reached out to alliance partners, all of whom agreed except the Trinamool Congress.Several attempts were made to convince the Trinamool Congress to support ISRO scientist Mylswamy Annadurai, who enjoys huge popularity among youngsters and has national recognition. However, the TMC maintained that the VP contest should not be reduced to a one-party, one-state issue and refused the proposal.Meanwhile, the Congress was clear that the candidate must be a consensus choice with the ability to attract cross-voting from the opposition camp. They have zeroed in on a candidate from Andhra Pradesh – retired Supreme Court judge Justice B Sudershan Reddy. .INDIA bloc VP candidate won’t get support from Andhra partiesDespite deciding to field retired Justice B Sudershan Reddy from Andhra Pradesh as its vice-presidential candidate, the India bloc finds itself stranded without allies in the state. Neither the TDP nor the YSRCP are willing to back their candidate.The TDP, a formal ally of the NDA, has already thrown its weight behind the ruling coalition’s candidate, CP Radhakrishnan. The YSRCP, too, will do the same. In fact, sources say the deal was sealed even before the NDA officially announced its pick, thanks to a call from Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to YSRCP chief Jagan Mohan Reddy.While the NDA has moved swiftly to lock in its numbers, YSRCP insiders point out that they haven’t even received a courtesy call from any INDIA bloc leader — let alone a request for support or a briefing on their choice of candidate. “We are under no obligation to wait for anyone before taking a stand,” a YSRCP source underlined..Dharmasthala turns into BJP’s political puzzleThe Dharmasthala controversy has left the BJP looking dazed and unsure of its next move. A whistleblower’s explosive claim of a secret mass burial in the temple town had initially kept the party largely silent, choosing to watch the developments unfold.But after weeks of digging, the SIT turned up just two bodies, far fewer than the hundreds claimed by the whistleblower. That is when the BJP saw a window. Leaders marched to Dharmasthala and met the Veerendra Heggade family. Many within the party believed this finally gave them ammunition to frame the Congress government as “anti-Hindu.”Yet, there is still no clarity on how to take the issue forward, a BJP insider admitted. Some within the party feel its actions are less the result of a coherent strategy and more a scrambled reaction. A key dilemma remains: should the BJP be seen as standing with the Heggade family, or simply as devotees defending the sanctity of the temple?Even politically, the party has struggled to find a unified approach. While state BJP president Vijayendra led protests on the ground, Leader of Opposition R Ashoka failed to disrupt proceedings in the Assembly and Council, a move widely viewed as a sign of weakness and lack of conviction. 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DMK’s Tamil alternative for VP doesn’t get consensus | Powertrip #115

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