From the very beginning, BJP took an extremely anti-Dravidian stand during the recent assembly elections, accusing both the parties of rampant corruption. Much to the disappointment of the party’s national leaders, it couldn’t get even one representative elected. The national leaders of the party are extremely disgruntled with their local counterparts.

The dissatisfaction was clearly visible in a press meet held by Union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Venkaiah Naidu, when he arrived in Chennai today to attend the swearing in ceremony of Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa and her cabinet.

“We could have achieved more in the elections. But we did get a decent vote share and have proved that we are not only a national party, but also the party of the nation,” he was quoted as saying at the Chennai Airport.

He also added that the party had arranged for a review meeting with local and national leaders soon to analyse the loss.

BJP was very confident of making a mark in the elections, and carried in a vigorous campaign before the elections. All the stalwarts of the party, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, came down to Tamil Nadu to address campaign rallies. They were very well supported by the local leaders, including state president Tamilisai Sounderarajan and national secretary, H. Raja.

There however were some noticeable drawbacks in their campaign strategy. The local leaders were prohibited from conducting their own rallies unless there was a representation from the national leaders.

The state leaders also failed to campaign more individually outside the constituencies they were contesting. The party’s state vice president Vanathi Srinivasan, who contested in Coimbatore South, is a fitting example.

The plans backfired badly with candidates losing their deposit in 228 constituencies. Local leaders including Tamilisai Sounderarajan and H. Raja also lost their deposits and failed to make a mark in the elections.

Much to the embarrassment of the national leaders (and the anxiety of the local leaders), the party which was expecting to win more than 10 seats, could not even win one. They failed even in constituencies they thought they were strong at, like Mylapore and T. Nagar, in Chennai. The highest achiever was Vanathi Srinivasan, who came in third in her constituency. The party candidates managed to get only fourth or fifth position in most of the constituencies.

The party consoles itself with the fact that its vote share has increased from 2.2 to 2.86 per cent.

With the neighbouring state of Kerala not offering any solace either, it is about time the BJP reconsidered its strategy for the southern states.