ABSTRACT
Tamil Nadu paper suggests that the victory of the DMK rekindled the ideological discourse at the state level on linguistic-cultural nationalism, secularism, and the regional aspirations as projected within the framework of Hindutva politics by the BJP and its proxy in the state, the AIADMK. The verdict revealed that there was a reconsolidation of dominant backward castes base, Dalits, and minorities which aimed to re-establish the Dravidian identity politics by rejecting both the Hindutva politics as well as the ‘Modi wave’ in the state. This was the first election when the two main Dravidian parties i.e. DMK and AIADMK were contesting without their colossal leaders. The DMK led by Stalin, had the benefit of entering into a strategic alliance with minor parties which abound in the state. The party gained support due to its consistent protests on the state issues related to governance failure, NEET, Cauvery water dispute, anti-Sterlite, farmers' suicide. It also raised the BJP indirect control over the post-Jayalalithaa AIADMK government, which was perceived as the loss of autonomy of the state
