The ‘iron lady’ of Poes Garden is back in business, and how. AfterNitish Kumar, Jayalalithaa and her AIADMK have become the most sought afterallies in Indian politics. In its show ‘Catch 272 – Grab Your Ally Poll’,shows how Jayalalithaa could change thefortunes of the BJP and the Congress.

The BJP has already sounded out its ideologue S.Gurumurthy to open talks with Jayalalithaa. Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Moditoo has been told to engage her. The party is going to the extent of claimingthere is a meeting of minds.

“On several issues, the ideologies of the BJP andJayalalithaa match,” said BJP spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad. But it's the BJP which needs the AIADMK more thanvice-versa. But Jayalalithaa could be more interested in the Congress. In TamilNadu, the Congress has 34 MLAs who provide crucial support to the DMKgovernment.

If Jayalalithaa can win a substantial number ofseats in the Lok Sabha elections, she could work out a convenient deal –support a Congress government at the Centre, and in return get the DMKgovernment in Tamil Nadu pulled down.

CPI leader A.B. Bardhan, however, ruled out thepossibility. “Is Jayalalithaa so cheap that just because Sonia Gandhi sends anemissary, she will be bought over?” he asked. Jayalalithaa, on her part, is playing the smartpolitician. “I do not wish to discuss post-poll alliances at this moment,” shesaid.

A Congress-AIADMK pact is easier said than done.There's tremendous opposition to the idea within the Congress in Tamil Nadu.Leaders like P. Chidambaram and G.K. Vasan are tooth and nail opposed toJayalalithaa.

Prabhu Chawla, Editorial Director, India TodayGroup, said: “Both the DMK and AIADMK cannot be in the same stable. The BJP istrying to woo both because of their anti-Congress stance during the elections.”The last time the Congress decided to ally withJayalalithaa in 1996, the party split. It was a decision the Congress has livedto regret, and may not want to repeat again.