Contesting in a constituency which was never a BJP stronghold to begin with, Vanathi Srinivasan, the party’s candidate for the Coimbatore South constituency, banks heavily on the Modi wave. In an interview with the Covai Post, Vanathi, who filed her nomination papers on Monday, reveals how her unique campaigning style will help her win the election.

TCP: Tamil Nadu has been a stronghold of the Dravidian parties for a very long time now, and the BJP has not made any major inroads into the state so far. What are your strategies for the 2016 state assembly election?

Vanathi Srinivasan: People here are fed up with the Dravidian parties and they want to change the political atmosphere. A sizeable amount of voters, including those above 40 and the first time voters, want to see a change. This will definitely help the BJP, having already secured good votes in a few pockets in the previous elections. This is also due to the fact that people are attracted towards the administrative style and functioning of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Our strategy is to promote his schemes, governance, and the motivations for the ‘Make in India’ and ‘Start-up India’ movements. This will help us garner votes in the state.

TCP: Even during the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the Lady Wave had successfully blown away the Modi Wave. How do you think things will change this time?

Vanathi Srinivasan: Your observation is right, but there were two aspects that made that possible. There was a perception among the people that even if they vote for Jayalalithaa, she would eventually support the Modi Government. Secondly, a national party like the BJP took an initiative to bring together other parties as a third alternative in Tamil Nadu to the DMK and the AIDMK, and we were able to secure nearly 75 lakh votes. Even though we were not able to win that many seats, we managed to push the DMK to the third place in many constituencies. They could not even get a single seat because of us. This clearly shows that the support for the BJP is increasing. People of Tamil Nadu want a change and we will reap the benefits of this mindset.

TCP: The Coimbatore South constituency, where you are contesting now, was won five times each by the DMK and the AIADMK, and four times by the Indian National Congress…

Vanathi Srinivasan: This constituency was given first status by the BJP after the 2014 parliamentary elections. Apart from that there are 20,000 new voters here who are attracted to Modi’s governance. I think the Modi wave is still alive, and because of the administration woes of the Dravidian parties, the youth of the day look up to Modi for opportunities. BJP is the only choice of the first-time voters. Even though the constituency is going to see a multi-corner heavy contest, it will definitely help us, considering the first-time voters.

TCP: What are your strategies to win this particular constituency?

Vanathi Srinivasan: We are opting for a traditional campaign, by going door-to-door to canvas for votes. I’m meeting people of different sections, including youth and homemakers separately. It is surprising to see that many homemakers and women who attended the meeting openly talk about politics. I’m targeting different sections of people. Even the youth have replied that it was not easy to meet with the politicians and get answers. But I’m changing that, and I hope the young voters will appreciate it.

TCP: You have said that you will be releasing a manifesto specially made for this constituency. Have you identified any particular issues in the constituency?

Vanathi Srinivasan: The first idea is to implement the schemes of the Central Government in the constituency effectively. I have an advantage here because I belong to the BJP, the party that is ruling at the centre. I’m also trying to identify the areas where the constituency is lagging. Setting up an empowerment centre for women, youth facilitation centre for job and startups – these will find a place in my manifesto. There are a lot of civic issues in the constituency. All these will be addressed once the Smart City proposal is activated. We have also planned to organise a Smart City rally here in the coming days. We will be showcasing the things which we intend to do in the Smart City scheme.

TCP: When can we expect the manifesto?

Vanathi Srinivasan: Within the next four or five days.