Will Rajinikanth Succeed In His Political Avatar?
Editor-in-Chief of indiacommentary.com. Current Affairs analyst and political commentator.
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By Sunil Garodia
First publised on 2020-12-08 08:26:32
About the Author
Editor-in-Chief of indiacommentary.com. Current Affairs analyst and political commentator.
View all posts by this Author
Ending the will-he, won't-he suspense, actor Rajinikanth finally announced his entry into active politics by saying that a new party will be formed in January 2021. Further details will be announced on December 31. The actor promised to give Tamil Nadu "a non- corrupt, honest, transparent and secular party with spiritual politics". But in the politically sensitive state, words mean nothing. The actor will have to spell out his policies and convince the electorate that he will make a difference to even hope to dent the long-entrenched duopoly of the AIADMK and the DMK.
For a long time now, Rajinikanth has made political statements but has not actively joined any party, much like the movies where the identity of some characters is kept hidden and disclosed at the appropriate time in the narrative. His decision to enter active politics now, with the state slated to go to polls next year and with the demise of both Jayalalitha and Karunanidhi (who were also film actors before becoming politicians) creating a void, can be seen as a tactical move to occupy that space.
There is no doubt that Rajinikanth has a huge fan following in the state. But wide-eyed fans who applaud his on screen heroics are as different from informed and serious voters as chalk and cheese. Tamil Nadu politics revolves around the AIADMK and the DMK, both following the atheist ideology of the Dravidian movement. All other parties, including the Congress, the BJP and the Left are bit players who have not been able to make the voters take them seriously all these years.
In such a scenario, it remains to be seen how an untested and politically unknown Rajinikanth is able to make a mark. He might get ready infrastructure in the form of his fan clubs and manpower for campaigning, but that will mean little in the absence of a well- defined ideology and concrete policies. Further, with the BJP showing signs of taking him under his wings, it remains to be seen how the alliances pan out as Rajinikanth is unlikely to go with AIADMK. It also remains to be seen if the actor can use his screen persona to win enough votes to make him a major player in state politics or is sidelined as a bit player in his political avatar. But one thing is clear: Rajinikanth's entry will add spice to the elections in Tamil Nadu and might force others to rework their game plan.
