The results of the Assembly elections in five states are a warning signal for regional parties and regional identities. It clearly establishes that the march of Hindutva seems to be unstoppable, at least in state elections. MK Stalin and Mamata Banerjee are the two most important spokespersons of regional identities, and in these elections, they tried to evoke regional sentiment to the maximum, but the results tell a different story: they did not cut ice with voters.

Whether this hints at a larger paradigm shift in Indian politics is yet to be seen, but it surely proves that the setback which Hindutva suffered in 2024 was a temporary phenomenon, and if Congress-led secular forces have to reclaim their ground for 2029, then they have to go to the drawing board and redraw a new narrative and a new strategy.

DMK setback and emergence of Vijay

The biggest upset in this electoral contest is the DMK, a cadre-based party with a grand history of electoral success. It was the DMK that demolished the national party, the Congress, in the 1960s, and since then, Congress has never recovered; politics has since revolved around the two Dravidian parties. In this context, the emergence of superstar Vijay is nothing short of a miracle.

After the massive victory of NT Ramarao in united Andhra Pradesh in the 1980s, when he first contested elections and demolished a colossus like Congress, history has repeated itself. Like NTR, Vijay is also a great........

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