ABSTRACT
Political parties espousing the ideas of Hindu nationalism have struggled to make an impact on politics in Tamilnad. This appeared to be changing in the 1990s. In the early 1990s the AIADMK began to favour a religious agenda that met with the approval of Hindu nationalist organizations. In 1998 the BJP formed an alliance with the AIADMK to contest the Lok Sabha elections and its first MPs were elected from Tamil Nadu. This alliance was short-lived and there was some surprise when the DMK, a party known for its rationalist inclinations, linked up with the BJP to contest the 1999 Lok Sabha election. This alliance proved much more durable. DMK support enabled BJP candidates to win elections to the Lok Sabha in 1999 and the state assembly in 2001. The BJP and allied organizations were upbeat about the prospects for the party and were hopeful that the party could gain a stronger presence in state.
