Amid Surveys Showing Annamalai-Led BJP's Growing Popularity in TN, AIADMK Issues Open Challenge

As recent surveys predicted that the BJP might get more vote share than the AIADMK, the 'two leaves' party has given an open challenge to saffron party - field Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar from Tamil Nadu and take a reality check.

Krishnagiri AIADMK leader K P Munusamy has said, "If Bharatiya Janata Party has heart, if it has courage, if it has confidence that people of Tamil Nadu will vote, put Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and External Affairs Minister Jaishankar in any constituency of Tamil Nadu.. Then you will know how the people of Tamil Nadu will learn a lesson," the AIADMK leader said.

He was speaking at an event related to former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa. He also questioned, "Two Tamils are Union Ministers...One is External Affairs Minister Jaishankar and another is Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman... Let both of them contest (Lok Sabha polls) from any constituency in Tamil Nadu."

His comments come at a time when Union Minister Pralhad Joshi said that both Nirmala and Jaishankar would take a plunge. The reports had claimed that both the leaders might contest from Karnataka.

The AIADMK further questioned the BJP as to why Union Minister of State L Murugan is not ready to contest the Lok Sabha elections. "You should have made him stand in the (Lok Sabha) election. Why didn't you make him stand? You see that you cannot win if you stand. Then why are you deceiving the people?" he asked.

What Surveys Said?

Just days ago, the Federal-Puthiyathalaimurai-Apt 2024 Pre-Poll Survey said thatthe DMK will win the highest number of seats in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, but the most astonishing part of the story was that the rise of the BJP.

The saffron party, which had failed to open its account in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, is predicted to win around 4 seats. More importantly, it is securing more votes than the established AIADMK party.

According to the survey, the BJP is expected to see an increase of 18.48 per cent in its vote share, reaching 3.71 per cent. On the other hand, the AIADMK, with its previous 18.72 per cent vote share, is projected to receive 17.26 per cent of the votes.

Similarly, The Times Now-Matrize News survey in February claimed that the ruling DMK or the INDIA bloc will secure 59.7 per cent votes while the BJP takes the second position by garnering 20.4 per cent votes.

Surprisingly, the AIADMK is being pushed to third place as it secures 16.3 per cent votes followed by others(3.6 per cent votes), the opinion poll said.