In Muthuvel Karunanidhi famously known as Kalaignar (scholar of arts) Tamil Nadu has lost an unparalleled icon. Last of his kind, Karunanidhi wrote the destiny of TN unlike others (even influencing the national politics to a great extent). He now stands tall with other departed icons of the state, question do arise, will there ever be another person who can hold sway over the state like Karunanidhi and his contemporaries.
TN politics had been dominated by two poles from the late 80s. Karunanidhi along with Jayalalitha were fierce rivals with no other opponent rising to challenge their dominance. It is unfortunate that both stars began to fade in 2016.
Jayalalitha passed away after her 75-day hospital stay and Karunanidhi’s health began to decline, making his public appearances rarer. Now that second of the two poles has fallen, the state may feel a vacuum being created to the benefit of new entrants.
It is no doubt that DMK and AIADMK will continue to dominate the scene for a while at least, it will depend upon new entrants like Kamal Haasan and Rajnikanth to make the most of the given situation. Of course, on screen fame is not enough to succeed in politics and a grass-roots level cadre is needed to make actual gains.
However, given the infighting that is going on in the AIADMK, it may be safe to say there are advantages for new players. Similarly, it is also crucial on how well MK Stalin (Karunanidhi’s successor) manages the affairs of DMK and most importantly whether he is able to avoid infighting.
DMK is in a much better position to deal with post-Karunanidhi phase as Stalin had been anointed as the eventual successor for a while now and his older brother and rival claimant to Thalaivar’s legacy MK Alagiri had been exiled in Madurai. Alagiri may be back on the scene, demanding his due share.
In AIADMK’s case, Jayalalitha’s close confidant VK Sasikala faced opposition from with the party and lead to claimants like O Panneerselvam and Edappadi K Palaniswami emerging.
For other state and national parties, it is a time to capture as much possible space from the two dominant forces. There has never been an opening in TN politics like this in decades.
Haasan and Rajnikanth are novices to politics but managed to strike a cord with their audiences through their films. It will be interesting to see how it plays out between the two. They, unlike novices, are not entirely banking on their on screen fame to sail through the polls. Both have begun building their presence on grass-roots level.
Parties like Congress and BJP are courting both sides. The national parties will eventually have to choose one for the other but that will all depend on which direction the wind is blowing. It will also be interesting to see to which extent Haasan and Rajnikanth are able change the dynamics of TN’s politics. With the last of the old guard gone, TN will see a transformation unlike before.
