BJP eyes three seats in Karaikal

The BJP, which has historically contested one or two of the five Assembly constituencies in Karaikal district, is preparing to seek three seats in the upcoming elections.

The visit of Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday is expected to provide momentum to the party’s campaign in the region.

Mr. Shah’s visit — his first to Karaikal since the 2021 Assembly election campaign — will comprise five party events across the district including interactions with cadre and meetings with office-bearers of the Puducherry unit.

BJP leaders said the visit aligns with the party’s strategy to expand its footprint in three constituencies this time.

In the 2021 election, the BJP, contesting as part of the alliance led by N.R. Congress, finished second in two constituencies in Karaikal district. In Thirunallar, the party lost by 1,380 votes, while in Neravy – T.R. Pattinam it was defeated by a margin of 5,511 votes. Party functionaries described the Thirunallar result as a “near miss” and said sustained grassroots work since then had strengthened the party’s prospects.

Sources indicated that the BJP was likely to seek the reserved Nedungadu constituency in addition to the seats it previously contested. Nedungadu has traditionally been a stronghold of the N.R. Congress, with the sitting MLA belonging to the ally.

A senior BJP leader said the party’s campaign would center on “good governance” and the implementation of Central schemes under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “Unlike personality-driven parties, we are an ideologically driven party. Our cadre-based structure ensures consistency and organisational stability.”

BJP sources also pointed to the “double engine” government — referring to the alliance between the BJP and the N.R. Congress in Puducherry — and claimed that long-pending infrastructure works, including pipeline repairs, had been taken up in recent years.

Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, who is the BJP’s election in-charge for Puducherry, has been visiting Karaikal frequently, party sources said, conducting booth-level reviews and meetings with functionaries every few months.

As part of its grassroots campaign, the party has deployed LED vehicles in T.R. Pattinam and Nedungadu communes from February 1, screening short presentations on government achievements in villages and hamlets. After each screening, a party worker addresses the gathering. With Mr. Shah’s visit, two additional vehicles have been pressed into service. Party workers are also assisting beneficiaries, particularly women and senior citizens, in accessing welfare schemes.

In the run-up to the elections, the BJP said it had convened a meeting of around 30 community representatives in the district last month, most of whom attended and raised local concerns before party leaders. “This reflects growing trust in the party,” a senior functionary said.

Party leaders said that more than 6,000 people attended Mr. Shah’s last public meeting in Karaikal in 2021, and arrangements have now been made to accommodate nearly 12,000 attendees for Saturday’s programme.

When asked whether anti-incumbency against the N.R. Congress could affect the BJP’s prospects as an alliance partner, a senior functionary said the party did not see it as a setback in Karaikal. “We do not hold power in any of the constituencies in Karaikal district. Anti-incumbency, if any, is not directed at us,” he said.

The party’s long-term objective was to form a BJP-led government in the Union Territory, aligned with the BJP government at the Centre. “That is when substantive change can happen,” he said.