THE North-East has been won by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), coming after a spectacular victory in Uttar Pradesh, and a tough, but eye-opening one, in native Gujarat, which made its impact felt on Budget 2018. But, at present, the BJP and its several allies have saturated their presence in North India, in States such as Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. They can only lose seats in these States in 2019, rather than increase the combined tally of 2014. Hence, the initial Look North policy shifted to Look East, and now has to change to Look South. To make up for the possible shortfall in its northern bastion, the BJP and its allies have to make up with wins in the south. This is why Tamil Nadu will prove to be crucial in 2019.
