Talk of secession last surfaced after independence and was suppressed with a ban in 1963 on any politician proposing it.
Another way for the bjp to be competitive in the south is for it to moderate its Hindutva message, restrain its promotion of Hindi, put more weight on economic development and advance more moderate successors to Mr Modi than his coterie of headbangers.
If Mr Modi and his party choose wisely, the south may be an augury for its politics, too.