Chennai: The BJP on Thursday sprung a surprise by fielding some prominent faces in the Lok Sabha elections from Tamil Nadu thereby showing its determination to give a tough fight to the DMK-led INDIA bloc and the AIADMK alliance. The party released the names of 9 candidates out of the 20 seats from where it would contest, heading the NDA.
Annamalai Fielded In Coimbatore
The party fielded its state unit president K Annamalai, known for his aggressive style of politics, in the communally sensitive Coimbatore, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi had recently undertaken a 2.8 km long roadshow. He will take on the DMK’s Ganapathy P Rajkumar – who is a political turncoat and former AIADMK Mayor of Coimbatore – and Singai G Ramachandran, the AIADMK’s IT wing head.
Annamalai, who had undertaken an eight month long ‘En Mann, En Makkal’ yatra, was initially not keen on entering the fray and preferred to campaign for the party but the high command decided to field him in Coimbatore.
L Murugan To Fight Against DMK's A Raja
The bigger surprise in the BJP list was that of Union Minister L Murugan. Just a few weeks ago, the party had sent him to the Rajya Sabha for a second time from Madhya Pradesh. However, now he will file nominations from The Nilgiris (Reserved) constituency where he will taken on DMK heavyweight and former Union Telecom Minister A Raja.
Likewise, Tamilisai Soundararajan, who recently resigned as Telangana Governor and Puducherry Lt Governor, will test the water from Chennai South taking on sitting DMK MP Thamizhachi and former AIADMK MP Jayavardhan.
Other High Profile Names From The List
Another high profile candidate is the party’s floor leader in the Assembly, Nainar Nagendran (a former AIADMK Minister), who has been fielded in Tirunelveli. Besides, the party has renominated former Union Minister Pon Radhakrishnan in Kanniyakumari, a traditionally strong seat for the party.
The BJP has allotted 19 seats to its various allies but has left former Chief Minister O Panneerselvam high and dry, not giving him any constituencies.
