Popularity alone won't get votes for Kamal Haasan: BJP's Vanathi ahead of Tamil Nadu polls

BJP Mahila Morcha (Women's Wing) National President, Vanathi Srinivasan, is taking on Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) chief Kamal Haasan in Coimbatore (South) assembly constituency, from where she lost in the 2016 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections. She spoke to DH's E.T.B. Sivapriyan on her challenger and BJP's chances in Tamil Nadu. Excerpts:

Q: You are taking on a very formidable candidate in Coimbatore (South) constituency who is also a popular actor, Kamal Haasan. How do you see the contest here?

A: Fielding me in Coimbatore (South) is a natural choice of the BJP. My candidature was not a surprise at all. The BJP fielded me in this constituency in 2016 and I was the only party candidate who could reclaim the election deposit amount. In a democracy, anyone can come and fight elections anywhere.

Kamal Haasan might have his own reasons to contest from here. His party scored more than 1.4 lakh votes in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls in Coimbatore. The only advantage I see for Kamal Haasan is the media attention and his status as a film star. I consider Kamal Haasan as any other contender in this constituency.

Q: Won't Kamal Haasan's popularity get him votes?

A: I am not totally ignoring the media publicity and Kamal Haasan's popularity as a film star. But electoral politics has more dynamics than personal popularity. One should understand that a party or an outfit needs an organisational structure to bring votes.

Read: Tamil Nadu Assembly polls: Karthikeya Sivasenapathy takes on AIADMK's Coimbatore strongman S P Velumani

Chemistry and popularity will work but only when it is backed by a grass root level structure. To get the popularity to convert into votes, the organisational structure is imperative. My advantage, according to me, is the grass root level organisation strength of AIADMK and BJP. My assessment is that the vote conversion (to Kamal Haasan) will not happen.

Q: How do you think the BJP will perform in the April 6 assembly polls? BJP says it has improved its reach in Tamil Nadu and do you think it will reflect in numbers?

A: Of course, it will reflect in numbers. We may not have got the constituencies that we asked for. Not all the 20 constituencies where we are contesting are the seats of our choice. In fact, in the entire region, we got only Coimbatore (South) and it is a disappointment for us. But we want to prove our strength in the seats that have been allotted to us. No one would have ever thought that BJP would ask for Aravakurichi in an alliance a few years back.

Today, because of (K) Annamalai, and his leadership, we have got the constituency. We are now able to contest in constituencies where we do not have any base. After the elections, BJP's visibility in Tamil Nadu will increase.

Q: Many say BJP is a liability for the AIADMK this election because of its divisive politics. Your comments?

A: If you ask me whether one party is a liability for the other. It is both ways. These problems are not in our alliance alone but in the Opposition alliance also. The DMK and Congress have serious contradictions on several issues. There will be a divergence of views among parties, but we agree on common issues and form an alliance. But the alliance between AIADMK, and BJP has brought so much good to Tamil Nadu only because the two governments have a better understanding and converge on several issues.

Also read: BJP's brand of politics irritate Tamils, what they stand for is offensive to Tamil Nadu: Karti

What will happen to Tamil Nadu if the Opposition keeps shouting GoBackModi all the time? The BJP government brought the Defence Corridor to Tamil Nadu and that has resulted in several orders for MSMEs. No one talks about all these good things that we have done.

Q: Political parties do not give adequate representation to women while distributing tickets. As the head of BJP's women's wing, how do you look at this trend not just in your party but other outfits too?

A: My view is that we should go beyond the 33 per cent reservation for women in legislature and Parliament. To get the 33 per cent reservation implemented, I will do my bit as Mahila Morcha chief. As far as the BJP is concerned, we have fared better than any other party when it comes to women empowerment. Prime Minister Narendra Modi handed over plum portfolios like Defence, and Finance to a woman (Nirmala Sitharaman) and gave HRD to a young woman face (Smriti Irani). Our party has always given importance to women leaders. But when it comes to electoral politics, winnability takes the front seat.

As far as our party is concerned, we feel providing 33 per cent reservation to women in posts is the training ground. It is true that a woman has to put enormous efforts to get a seat. First, they should be at the party, get accepted and finally get the ticket. Having said that, things are changing fast. Today, BJP has fielded three women candidates in Tamil Nadu and even a newcomer like Khushbu who worked vigorously on the field has been rewarded.