New Delhi, Feb. 8: The BJP appears to be backing O. Panneerselvam from the sidelines in Tamil Nadu, which many perceive as an attempt by the party to get a foothold in the southern state.

At the same time, the BJP doesn't want to make its perceived preference in the Panneerselvam-V.K. Sasikala battle too obvious as the party wants to secure the support of the AIADMK's 37 members in the Lok Sabha and 13 in the Rajya Sabha to help it pass various bills and most importantly, during the election of the President later this year, sources said.

In private, several BJP leaders have supported the Tamil Nadu governor's decision against swearing in Sasikala as chief minister after she was elected the leader of the AIADMK legislature party. These leaders underlined how it would be "improper" for the governor to take such a step at a time the Supreme Court is scheduled to pronounce its judgment in a corruption case involving Sasikala.

"The governor is the constitutional head (of the state) and when another constitutional head, the Supreme Court, is scheduled to pronounce its judgment in the corruption case, how can he swear Sasikala in as chief minister? He has preferred to wait and it is the right decision," a BJP leader said.

BJP MP Subramanian Swamy told reporters today that some leaders of his party with "special interests" were involved in the Tamil Nadu crisis, not the party in general. He appeared to differ with the dominant view in the BJP to back Panneerselvam and said he was with the "Constitution", indicating his support for Sasikala. Swamy conceded that some BJP leaders were supporting Panneerselvam.

"I think he (governor C. Vidyasagar Rao) is unfit to be a governor. He should be directed to go to Chennai and act according to the Constitution," Swamy told reporters. Swamy had met President Pranab Mukherjee on Tuesday and urged him to direct the governor to go to Chennai.

BJP leaders didn't rule out claims that the party had a role in egging Panneerselvam on, but at the same time did not want to go all-out in backing him. The party wants to be cautious, given the AIADMK's strength in both Houses of Parliament as well as the Tamil Nadu Assembly. The AIADMK has 136 members in the 234-member Assembly. The BJP needs the support of these elected members during the President's election.

As chief minister, Panneerselvam had visited Delhi twice and met Prime Minister Narendra Modi over various issues relating to Tamil Nadu. BJP leaders said that during the meetings, he established a rapport with Modi.

The BJP hardly has any presence in Tamil Nadu, nor does it have any chance of making a mark in the state in the immediate future.

Under party president Amit Shah, however, the BJP has drawn up a plan to expand its base in the southern states, where it is weak. The party is eyeing to increase its Lok Sabha tally from the southern states in 2019.

The BJP has one MP, Pon Radhakrishnan from Kanyakumari, from the south. The party recently got Tamil Nadu leader La Ganesan, a former RSS pracharak, elected to the Rajya Sabha from Madhya Pradesh, signalling its intent to keep trying to expand in the southern state, where regional players hold the key.