Tamil Nadu polls: Will 'Thalapathy' Stalin defeat 'Maharani'?

"He is handsome,'' gushed a Chennaite in her mid 20s, when I asked her what she thought of MK Stalin, who is leading the DMK campaign in the 2016 election. But soon realising that was a bit bold by Chennai's conservative standards; she hastened to add, "for his age".

Stalin scored a duck on debut. He was pretty much the 'Thalapathy' (the commander) in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, since he had purged the party of the domineering presence of his elder brother MK Alagiri, just three months ahead of the polls. But the DMK minus Alagiri came a cropper, with Jayalalithaa hitting it out of the park, winning 37 of the 39 Lok Sabha seats. Adding insult to injury, the NDA picked up the remaining two seats.

The summer of 2016 is Stalin's second attempt to gain a place under the sun. Never before has a party symbol (the DMK's is the rising sun) been so revealing about what the party really is.

Doting dad Karunanidhi, fighting his 13th election, is waiting with bated breath to see the son rise to a position of power. He has made peace with Alagiri's ouster and Stalin taking over the party, for all practical purposes.

With social media managers by his side, Stalin has focused in this election on doing what Jayalalithaa does not do. Top of the list is accessibility. Changing from political whites to coloured clothing, Stalin has traded the trademark white shirt and dhoti for trousers and shirt or tees on some occasions. The attempt is to reinforce an "I am one of you" image among the people, someone the people can shake hands with, sip tea with and yes, even pose for selfies. His Facebook page looks like a serious attempt to make friends and tell people what is on his mind.

Coupled with the sartorial change is a change in screenplay too. His speeches are full of punchlines and wit and in the land of Kollywood that sells. Chennai Super Kings as an IPL team may be out of favour but Stalin is making those who throng to hear his speeches to indulge in "whistle podu" with some aggressive verbal pinch-hitting.

Taking a leaf out of the late NTR's book, he is invoking "Tamil pride" pointing to how Jayalalithaa introduces her candidates. All of them are seated at a level below her at public meetings. The frequent reference to Jayalalithaa as "Maharani" also is gaining traction. Given that Tamil Nadu voters are given to reacting emotionally, it is a touch risky to go overboard attacking a lady, showering her with abuse. Sarcasm, therefore, seems a safer option.

Serious allegations of corruption over 2G and nepotism gave the DMK a death blow in the 2011 and 2014 polls. Since a pot cannot call the kettle black, Stalin does not focus much on allegations of corruption against the AIADMK.

But the AIADMK knows Stalin, more than any other anti-Jayalalithaa leader, has created a buzz this election so it chooses to poke fun at his attire, pointing out that he is 64 and a grandfather and making a desperate attempt to look young. Memes have been in circulation, adding to the already overflowing collection of Tamil political jokes.

The vote difference between the DMK front and the AIADMK alliance in 2011 polls was about 50 lakh. Over one crore new voters have registered this time.

As Tamil Nadu moves into the business end of the elections in the last two weeks of campaigning, it is this constituency of neutral voters that Stalin will hope to win over if he has to see his father becoming chief minister of Tamil Nadu for the sixth time. Bet on Tamil Nadu Maximum anyone?