Ex-Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan set to contest LS poll from Chennai South

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) unveiled its third list of candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, nominating ex-Telangana governor and BJP leader Dr. Tamilisai Soundararajan as its candidate for the Chennai South parliamentary constituency. Soundararajan, who previously held gubernatorial positions in Telangana and Puducherry, rejoined the saffron camp in the presence of Tamil Nadu BJP chief K Annamalai, gearing up for the crucial polls.

Dr. Soundararajan, hailing from the influential Nagar community, boasts a political lineage as the daughter of veteran Congress leader Kumari Ananthan and the niece of businessman-politician H Vasanthakumar.With a professional background as a physician specializing in gynaecology and fetal therapy, she has held various roles within the BJP's state and national units, including former Tamil Nadu BJP chief.Despite electoral setbacks in past contests, including a loss in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections and previous assembly bids, Soundararajan's nomination reflects BJP's strategic positioning in Tamil Nadu politics ahead of the upcoming polls.

In the backdrop of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections' outcome, where the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK)-led alliance secured a sweeping victory, the political landscape in Tamil Nadu remains fiercely contested. With elections for all 543 parliamentary constituencies scheduled across seven phases, starting from April 19 and concluding on June 1, Tamil Nadu's single-phase voting on April 19 holds significant political weight. Amidst shifting alliances and strategic maneuvering, BJP's alliance with Tamil Maanila Congress and DMK's coalition with Congress and Makkal Needhi Maiam indicate a keenly contested electoral battle in the state.