Telangana Governor Steps Down, Likely to Run for Lok Sabha Elections as BJP Candidate

GG News Bureau
Hyderabad, 18th March. Tamilisai Soundararajan resigned from her position as Telangana Governor and Puducherry Lieutenant Governor on Monday morning. Sources informed that Soundararajan, who previously led the Bharatiya Janata Party’s Tamil Nadu unit before becoming Governor, is expected to run in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

Soundararajan, 62, took office as Telangana’s second Governor in November 2019 and was later given the additional role of Lieutenant-Governor of Puducherry in February 2021. She is likely to contest for Puducherry’s single Lok Sabha seat, currently held by the Congress party.

Sources suggest that the BJP believes Soundararajan has a strong connection with the people of Puducherry. There is also speculation that she may be nominated for one of three seats in Tamil Nadu, including the Thoothukudi seat currently held by Kanimozhi of the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam party.

Soundararajan ran for the Thoothukudi seat in the 2019 election but was defeated. She also contested the Chennai (North) seat in 2009 and lost to TKS Elangovan of the DMK party.

She has previously run for the Tamil Nadu Assembly three times – from Radhapuram in 2006, Velachery in 2011, and Virugampakkam in 2016 – but was unsuccessful in all three attempts.

During her tenure, Soundararajan had several disagreements with the Telangana government, particularly with the Bharat Rashtra Samithi party, which she accused of not following proper procedures.

As the Lok Sabha elections approach, scheduled to begin on April 19, the BJP has been actively campaigning in the southern states where the party has faced challenges. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has already made five visits to Tamil Nadu this year, where the BJP does not have a major alliance partner.

Former ally AIADMK parted ways with the BJP last year, forcing the national party to contest all 39 Lok Sabha seats in Tamil Nadu without a strong local alliance. The BJP is now gearing up for an aggressive campaign under the leadership of K Annamalai.