Union Home Minister and BJP leader Amit Shah has set an ambitious target of winning more than 25 seats for the National Democratic Alliance in Tamil Nadu in the upcoming 2024 Parliamentary elections. 

Addressing an election rally in Vellore on Sunday, June 11, Amit Shah said that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) respected the tradition and culture of Tamil Nadu. He said that as a reflection of the Tamil Chola dynasty’s rich legacy, the sengol had been installed in the new Parliament building. 

Amit Shah launched a blistering attack on the previous Congress-Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) rule and accused the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) of indulging in scams worth Rs 12,000 crore. Shah also claimed that not a single scam had emerged during the BJP's nine years of governance.

Setting an ambitious target of winning 25 plus seats from Tamil Nadu, Amit Shah said, “In 2024, the Modi government has to win again for the third time. I am sure that the BJP will not only win seats in Tamil Nadu but will also have cabinet ministers from the state.” Tamil Nadu has 39 Lok Sabha seats and one seat from Puducherry. 

At present, the BJP does not have any Lok Sabha seats in Tamil Nadu. In the 2019 elections, the DMK and its allies swept 38 seats, while the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) managed to win one seat in Tamil Nadu. The single seat was won by the son of O Paneerselvam (OPS), P Ravindhranath from Theni. The Congress won the lone seat from Puducherry.

Earlier, Amit Shah held consultations with BJP’s functionaries belonging to South Chennai Lok Sabha constituency, in which he reportedly took a dig at DMK and its late patriarch M Karunanidhi accusing him of scuttling the chances of senior Congress leaders from Tamil Nadu like K Kamaraj and GK Moopanar from becoming Prime Minister.