Writer Badri Seshadri has raised questions over whether national parties are treating Tamil Nadu as a priority during the ongoing election campaign. He points out that despite Congress being the second-largest partner in the DMK-led alliance by seat share, its campaign presence has been barely visible.
According to the article, Rahul Gandhi visited neighbouring Puducherry and also travelled to Kerala, but did not campaign in Tamil Nadu. Priyanka Gandhi is also said to have followed a similar pattern, while Sonia Gandhi has not travelled due to health reasons. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and key organisers who frequently visited for alliance talks are also noted as absent from campaign events, with Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar being one of the few to visit Tamil Nadu to release the party’s election promises.
The piece contrasts this with active campaigning by other DMK-alliance leaders such as Premalatha (DMDK), Thol. Thirumavalavan (VCK), Vaiko and Left leaders. It also notes that even senior Congress leader P. Chidambaram, who met Chief Minister M.K. Stalin for alliance discussions, has not been seen in major campaign rallies, and that Congress has not organised large public meetings even in constituencies it is contesting.
Turning to the AIADMK-led NDA, the writer notes that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has visited Tamil Nadu three times since January and recently campaigned in Nagercoil. However, he questions the absence of Amit Shah, saying the Home Minister appears to have shifted focus to West Bengal. BJP president J.P. Nadda visited to release the party manifesto, while state BJP chief K. Annamalai is described as campaigning extensively alongside AIADMK leader Edappadi K. Palaniswami.
The article argues that BJP’s moves ahead of the Tamil Nadu election—such as convening a special Lok Sabha session for women’s reservation and bringing a constitutional amendment bill linked to delimitation—have handed DMK a strong campaign plank. It warns that even if facts are contested, election-time messaging could dominate, potentially undermining the ground campaign built by Palaniswami and Annamalai as DMK and its allies amplify the claim that delimitation would hurt Tamil Nadu.
