Eyeing electoral gains, BJP wields Lord Muruga as political ‘spear’ in Tamil Nadu

The BJP’s plan to hold a Muruga conference in Madurai on Sunday (June 22) is being widely seen as yet another attempt to blend religion with politics to gain a foothold in Tamil Nadu, a state that has consistently rejected the party in successive Lok Sabha elections. In 2019, the AIADMK managed to win just one Lok Sabha seat, and the alliance fared even worse in 2024, losing all the seats to the DMK-led coalition.

No Hindutva wave in TN

In 2020, the BJP launched a Vel (spear) Yatra, a campaign against ‘Islamisation’ at Tiruparankundam, one of the six legendary Muruga abodes in the state, by charging that the DMK government was “promoting the cause” of a Sikandar hill in the mountain complex. The party, leveraging its alliance with the organiser Hindu Munnani, is now wooing the electorate with a Muruga conference in Madurai.

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The BJP had hoped that the consecration of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya would trigger a landslide victory and ignite a strong Hindutva wave nationwide. However, in Tamil Nadu, the temple's construction barely made an impact. One key reason is that most Hindus in the state are Shaivites rather than Vaishnavites, placing greater reverence on Shiva than on Ram. Significantly, Muruga, Shiva’s son and a deeply revered deity in Tamil Nadu, is widely regarded as a ‘Tamil God’, owing to the many legends rooted in the region that celebrates his divine presence.

TN’s reverence for Muruga

A well-known legend tells of Muruga's anger toward his father after a contest involving a special mango given by Narada. The challenge was to see who could circle the world three times the fastest. Muruga set off on an actual journey around the world, while Ganesa took a clever shortcut by circling his parents three times, symbolically considering them his world. When Ganesa was declared the winner, Muruga, feeling slighted, grew furious.

Muruga is believed to have descended to Earth and performed penance and meditation at six sacred sites, all situated in Tamil Nadu. Several of these abodes are associated with legends of him defeating powerful asuras. At Tiruttani, he is said to have married Valli, a Tamil tribal woman. Another key site, Swamimalai, is where Muruga is believed to have taught his father, Shiva, the profound meaning of the pranava mantra, Om. This followed an incident where Muruga imprisoned Brahma for failing to explain its significance. Upon discovering that Shiva too lacked this knowledge, Muruga assumed the role of teacher, while Shiva became the student.

Such are the rich legends surrounding Muruga’s six sacred abodes in Tamil Nadu. In contrast, sites associated with Rama in the region are relatively few. Apart from Kanyakumari, believed to be the point from which he departed for Sri Lanka to defeat Ravana and later returned, there are only a handful of places. These include spots where Rama and Lakshmana are said to have worshipped Shiva to atone for the ‘sin’ of killing Brahmins – Ravana and his brothers.

There are also Tamil legends associated with Muruga being among those who taught the Tamil language to the sage Agastya, and his association with the Tamil poet Ovvaiyar. There are references to Muruga in Sangam literature, at least 2,500 years ago.

The Madurai connection

Therefore, in an effort to appeal to Tamil voters, the BJP has turned to Muruga, a revered local Tamil deity. Meanwhile, the DMK government, aiming to counter any BJP narrative painting it as anti-Hindu, also organised a Muruga conference, though it projected the event primarily as a literary gathering focused on Muruga’s deep connection with Tamil literature.

The BJP has a strategic reason for selecting Madurai as the venue. In recent months, the party has made a focused effort to connect with the influential Thevar community in Madurai and neighbouring districts of southern Tamil Nadu, aiming to strengthen its presence in the region. The appointment of Nainar Nagendran, a Thevar leader from southern Tamil Nadu, is widely seen as a key part of this outreach campaign.

The BJP is well aware that the AIADMK, under Edappadi K Palaniswami’s leadership, has distanced itself from the Thevar community by sidelining prominent Thevar figures such as former Chief Minister O Panneerselvam, former MP TTV Dhinakaran, and Sasikala Natarajan, the one-time close aide of J Jayalalithaa. Sensing an opportunity, the BJP is eager to court this influential vote bank, which could prove decisive in at least a dozen districts ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections.

Bid to make inroads

The Hindutva party had earlier attempted to woo the Nadar community in southern Tamil Nadu through its prominent Nadar leaders, such as Pon Radhakrishnan and Tamilisai Soundararajan, but with little success. Now, it appears to have shifted its focus to the Thevar community. Interestingly, the DMK, once seen as weak in the southern region, has gained significant ground and is now stronger than the AIADMK in these areas. With the Congress as its ally, the DMK is on a strong wicket in the South. Yet, the BJP remains hopeful of making inroads, aiming to do so at the expense of the AIADMK.

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The AIADMK has ample reason to be concerned about the BJP's efforts to establish a foothold in southern Tamil Nadu, particularly in Thevar-dominated areas. However, regardless of how one views the BJP’s Murugan conference, its political impact may be limited, even with the participation of high-profile leaders like Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan. While the BJP may generate considerable buzz, for now, much of that noise appears to be coming from empty vessels.