The Bharatiya Janata Party, which expects to do well in the Lok Sabha elections in Tamil Nadu, with five pre-poll allies in the state, has more reasons to cheer. While chief minister J Jayalalithaa has been quiet on any pre-election alliance with any of the fronts, at the AIADMK supremo’s home constituency, Srirangam, many are eyeing the BJP ahead of the AIADMK this time.

And it’s the fear of the party supremo joining the Third Front post-polls that is driving most towards the saffron fold.

“Our choice is Amma (as Jayalalithaa is popularly called in Tamil Nadu) for assembly elections. But for general elections it is BJP. If we vote for the AIADMK now, in a way we are supporting the so-called Third Front,” says Murali (45), a private employee and resident of Srirangam.

According to him, it will be “chaos” nationally if the AIADMK bags 35 to 40 seats from the state (including Puducherry) in the coming elections. The Left parties, he asserts, will try to “brainwash Amma” in joining their league.

“But if the BJP comes to power, there is every possibility of Jayalalithaa joining hands with Modi, and thus, in a way, we are supporting Amma only,” Murali says, trying to justify his plans to vote for the saffron party even as wife Ramaya nods in agreement.

Srirangam assembly constituency, which is part of the Tiruchirappalli Lok Sabha seat, has a large Brahmin population.

Another resident Sumathi, while designing rangoli on the street to welcome the chariot of Lord Vishnu, which is pulled by devotees during the time of temple festival celebrated every year chariot of the Lord, says, “We don’t mind Amma coming to power but we oppose the Third Front’s anarchy.”       

On board the train from Chennai to Tiruchirappalli, a senior government employee working in the state capital expressed similar views: “There is no such Modi wave in Tamil Nadu but people don’t want the Congress at the Centre. We also do not want any possibility of the Third Front (coming to power).”