Why BJP won’t back CT Ravi and DMK explores new strategist | Powertrip #85

Welcome to this week’s Powertrip, a political newsletter exclusively curated for TNM and NL subscribers by Dhanya Rajendran, Shabbir Ahmed, Nidheesh MK and Pooja Prasanna. In this week’s newsletter, we bring you new details on which party political consultancy firm Showtime is finally signing a deal with in Tamil Nadu. The BJP is caught in a bind in Karnataka after the CT Ravi episode and we found out how they plan to deal with the situation. CPI(M) Kerala wanted an image makeover but its politburo shot down plans of hiring an external agency. Why is the Congress opposing the appointment of Justice V Ramasubramanian as the new chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission? .Inside TrackExclusive stories, for your eyes only.It’s showtime for DMK?In August, we reported that political consultancy firms were making a beeline for parties in Tamil Nadu, holding talks with both the DMK and AIADMK ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections. The frontrunners in this race were Showtime Consulting and I-PAC.Showtime has an impressive track record, having masterminded the landslide victory of Chandrababu Naidu’s TDP in Andhra Pradesh and helped former Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s faction of the Shiv Sena stay relevant in Maharashtra. Meanwhile, I-PAC is a well-known organisation with experience working for parties like the DMK, TMC, AAP, YSRCP, and others.Initially, speculation was rife that talks between Showtime and AIADMK were a done deal. However, in an unexpected twist, Showtime will now mostly be working for the DMK and for PEN, the DMK’s in-house political strategy team. As per sources, Showtime will handle the creative side, including ideation and strategy formulation, while PEN will leverage its robust network to implement these strategies on ground. Insiders say that talks are in advanced stages, and in the coming days it’s expected to be ‘Showtime’ for the DMK..CT Ravi episode derails BJP’s attack on CongressThe CT Ravi episode has put the BJP in Karnataka in a tough spot for two reasons. First, it completely overshadowed the issue they were planning to target the Congress with: the tragic deaths of five women in a government hospital in Ballari. Second, on the ground, the Congress has been pushing the narrative that Ravi’s offensive comments about Laxmi Hebbalkar are an insult to all Lingayat women—a community that forms the backbone of the BJP’s support in Karnataka.While the party initially stood by Ravi, willing to brush off his comments as something said in the heat of the moment and even backing him when he was arrested, that’s where their support stops. A source close to the BJP president revealed that he has been told not to “add fuel to the fire” and warned against using the incident to play the victim. However, ignoring this advice, Ravi has now announced a march to Belagavi—something the party has no intention of backing..PB says no to strategistThe CPI(M) unit in Kerala is seeking an image makeover following a public relations setback. The controversy stemmed from an interview Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan gave to The Hindu, where he faced accusations of profiling the Muslim community. One would think that the party would want to bring in a political agency. But we have learnt that though a meeting was held with I-PAC, the party has for now decided against hiring the organisation.According to a source, the CPI(M) opted to manage the strategy internally rather than rely on external consultants. One reason is the high cost of I-PAC’s services, which the party found prohibitive. Additionally, outsourcing such work is seen as inconsistent with CPI(M)’s principles. The party’s politburo has so far opposed the idea..NHRC chairperson appointment triggers rowThe appointment of former Supreme Court judge Justice V Ramasubramanian as the new chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission has been opposed by the Congress. Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge have submitted a dissent note saying the selection process adopted by the committee is fundamentally flawed and that it was a pre-determined exercise. The opposition proposed the names of Justice Rohinton Fali Nariman and Justice KM Joseph for the post of chairperson and recommended Justice Muralidhar and Justice AA Kureshi as members of NHRC. One of the reasons the Congress is opposing the appointment is because they believe Justice Ramasubramanian is close to certain right-wing leaders. The party believes that their allies like the DMK and the left parties will back them. Human rights groups have, however, welcomed the appointment..DMK downplays R-Day rejectionThe exclusion of tableaux from non-BJP-ruled states for the Republic Day celebrations has become an annual affair. This year is no different. The theme for the upcoming Republic Day parade tableaux is ‘Swarnim Bharat: Virasat aur Vikas’ (Golden Bharat: Heritage and Development). The TN government had submitted a proposal to showcase a tableau featuring the Keeladi excavations. The government deputed two Joint Director-level officers—one from the Tamil Virtual Academy and another from the Department of Information and Public Relations —to present their proposal before the Defence Ministry’s expert panel.Armed with their proposal and a song from Purananuru (a collection of 400 heroic Tamil poems) composed with the help of a private agency, the Tamil Nadu representatives attended six meetings with the expert panel. When news of the rejection broke, Opposition leader Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS) launched a scathing attack on the DMK government. In response, the government’s fact-checking unit accused EPS of spreading misinformation. They said that Tamil Nadu’s tableau would not be able to participate in the 2025 Republic Day parade because states are allowed to participate only on a rotation basis.But this raises an important question: why did the government then go through the elaborate process of making a presentation before the Defence Ministry’s expert panel? And why was a private agency engaged for the preparations?.Zero HourA political story of public importance.The reasons for male suicides in India: What the numbers tell us.The biggest reason for male suicides in India, according to official data, is not marriage-related problems—which accounted for 3.28% of male suicides in the period from 2015 to 2022..PowermovesTop 5 political stories1. Xenophobia and police brutality haunt migrant trans women in Kerala2. Vaikom Award to Kannada writer and activist Devanoor Mahadeva is historic3. YSRCP govt paid RGV Rs 11k per view for his Jagan biopic Vyuham, says AP Fibernet 4. ‘Not public hearing, staged event’: Residents allege bias at Ennore power plant hearing5. Hyderabad Police Commissioner apologises for saying national media is ‘bought over’

Why BJP won’t back CT Ravi and DMK explores new strategist | Powertrip #85

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