Tamil Nadu Polls: BJP Fields Actor-turned-politician Khushbu Sundar from Thousand Lights
Former Congress spokesperson and actress Khushboo Sundar joined the BJP in the presence of BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra at the party’s headquarters in New Delhi on Oct 12, 2020. (IANS photo)
NEW DELHI – The BJP on March 14 released a list of 17 candidates for the April 6 Tamil Nadu Assembly polls, which includes the names of actor-turned-politician Khushbu Sundar from Thousand Lights and its state unit chief L. Murugan from Dharampur (SC) seats.
BJP general secretary Arun Singh said: “The Central Election Committee of the BJP met under the chairmanship of party chief J.P. Nadda, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Ministers Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah and other members present, and decided 17 names for the ensuing Tamil Nadu Assembly elections.”
Union Minister for State for Home and poll in-charge for Tamil Nadu, Kishan Reddy, said that per the alliance agreement, the AIADMK is contesting 178 of the state’s 234 seats, the PMK is contesting 23 and the BJP is contesting 20.
“G.K. Vasan’s Tamil Maanila Congress will be contesting on six seats and other smaller parties are contesting on remaining seven seats,” he said.
Among other members, BJP Mahila Morcha president Vanathi Srinivasan has been fielded from Coimbatore South, former IPS officer K. Annamalai from Aravakurichi and former MLA and party national Secretary H. Raja from Karaikudi.
Apart from Sundar and Srinivasan, the BJP list comprises one more woman – Dr. C.K. Saraswathi from Modakkurichi.
Other candidates are Vinoj P. Selvam (Harbour), S. Thanigaivel (Tiruvannamalai), Kalivarathan (Tirukkoyilur), D. Periyasamy (Tittakudi (SC)), Poondi S. Venkatesan (Thiruvaiyaru), Dr. P. Saravanan (Madurai North), G. Pandurangan (Virudhunagar), D. Kuppuram (Ramanathapuram), Nainar Nagendran (Tirunelveli), M.R. Gandhi (Nagercoil), and P. Ramesh (Colachel).
A senior party leader said that candidates for the remaining three seats will be announced soon.
Reddy also said that in two years since the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the political situation has completely changed in the state.
“There is wave in favor of the NDA under leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. DMK is symbol of corruption, rowdiness and dynasty politics and with this election the third general is their family making debut in electoral politics,” he said.