BJP’s Emergence and Struggles: Navigating Tamil Nadu’s Dravidian Dominance

Despite Tamil Nadu’s significant Hindu population, the BJP and Sangh Parivar ’s efforts to expand their influence have remained confined to urban areas and the upper castes. Their attempts to utilize communal tensions for organizational growth largely failed, with Kanyakumari being a notable exception. The inherent clash between the Tamil narrative of Dravidian politics and Hindutva’s religious narrative has stymied the BJP’s progress. Efforts to appropriate Tamil culture, such as the Kashi Tamil Sangamam and praise of Thirukural and Thiruvalluvar, have not yielded the anticipated electoral results. Consequently, the BJP and Sangh Parivar have not evolved into a substantial force capable of challenging the entrenched dominance of the Dravidian political parties in Tamil Nadu. This article examines the BJP’s evolving strategies in Tamil Nadu, focusing on caste-based outreach, cultural integration and central government leverage. It critically assesses the electoral impact of these efforts, highlighting both their limitations and the challenges of contesting the entrenched Dravidian political order.