New Delhi/Chennai, April 3 The BJP on Friday announced the names of 27 candidates for the Tamil Nadu Assembly polls, including Union Minister L Murugan from the Avanashi seat and former Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan from Mylapore, but its former state president K Annamalai is not contesting.
The absence of Annamalai, a former IPS officer who was a prominent figure for the party during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, from the list of candidates comes amid reports of disagreements over seat allocation.
"In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, they asked me to contest. Now, no one has asked me to contest. I didn't seek an opportunity, and I am fulfilling the tasks assigned to me. If the party decides and asks me to contest, I will," Annamalai told reporters in Coimbatore last month.
Annamalai unsuccessfully contested from Aravakurichi in the 2021 Assembly election and also lost the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
When asked why Annamalai's name was not on the list of candidates, Union Minister and BJP State Election In-Charge Piyush Goyal said, "He is a dedicated member of the party, and he has expressed a desire to work across the state rather than being limited to one constituency."
"The candidates are selected based on input from the state and the desire of each candidate, where they would like to serve and in what capacity," he told reporters in Chennai.
According to the BJP list, its Mahila Morcha national president Vanathi Srinivasan will contest from Coimbatore (North), Kirthika Shivkumar from Modakkurichi, S Vijayadharani from Vilavancode, and Nagesh Kumar from the Thalli seat.
Polling for the 234-member Tamil Nadu Assembly is scheduled for April 23, and the counting of votes will take place on May 4.
The party has retained three sitting MLAs, renomining senior leader M R Gandhi from Nagercoil. Party president Nainar Nagenthran, who won from the Tirunelveli constituency in the 2021 election, has been fielded from Sattur.
Vanathi Srinivasan, who defeated actor-politician Kamal Haasan from Coimbatore South, has been nominated from Coimbatore North.
The party has nominated Kirthika Shivkumar from Modakkurichi, from where BJP candidate C Saraswathi, a doctor by profession, defeated DMK leader Subbulakshmi Jagadeesan in 2021.
Both Sattur and Coimbatore North were allocated to the AIADMK during seat-sharing negotiations.
The AIADMK had offered the Avanashi (SC) seat, from where its former Speaker P Dhanapal had won in the previous election.
The party has nominated five women candidates, including S Vijayadharani, a practicing advocate and the great-granddaughter of noted social reformer Kavimani Desigavinayagam Pillai, from the Vilavancode constituency in Kanyakumari district. She won this seat for three consecutive terms in 2011, 2016, and 2021 on a Congress ticket. She joined the BJP in February 2024 following differences with the Congress.
BJP women’s wing state president Kavitha Srikanth has been nominated from Aranthangi.
Congratulating the party candidates, Annamalai, who is campaigning in Kannur in neighboring Kerala, said they have the support of every "brother and sister of Tamil Nadu" who are "tired of corruption, complacency, and the DMK’s betrayal."
"Under the visionary leadership of our Hon’ble PM Narendra Modi, India has moved forward with strength, scale, and purpose. While the nation progresses, Tamil Nadu has been held back by a failed, arrogant, and self-serving DMK government," Annamalai said in a post on 'X' on Friday.
"As a karyakarta, I will stand shoulder to shoulder and campaign for all our winning BJP and NDA candidates, with the aim of the NDA winning 210 seats in the upcoming Assembly elections," he added.
Rajya Sabha MP Murugan, currently the Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting, contested from the Dharapuram constituency and lost by a narrow margin in 2021. He also unsuccessfully contested the 2024 Lok Sabha election in Nilgiris.
Former state president Tamilisai Soundararajan, who will contest from Mylapore, resigned as Governor and returned to party work ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
She is the daughter of veteran Congress leader Kumari Ananthan and a doctor by profession.