Thrissur: As Tamilisai Soundararajan returns to the heat and dust of electoral politics, the plunge after a stint in the Telangana Raj Bhavan is a statement of sorts in the politics of Tamil Nadu.
Afterall, not many leaders come back to electoral politics after becoming a governor, a constitutional position considered a retirement post for politicians. But, the former BJP state chief is considered crucial to the politics of Tamil Nadu, where the party is desperately trying to make inroads.
One of the prominent local faces, Tamilisai is expected to galvanise the BJP workers in the run up to the Lok Sabha election due to her administrative experience in the party and familiarity with the state. The senior leader, who maintains good ties with the BJP brass, published a book, ‘Suvai Migu Theneer Thuligal’ ‘Sweet Drops of Tea’, on PM Modi in 2014.
A successful arbitrator and orator, the 62-year-old leader has never tasted electoral victory in her five attempts including the 2019 Lok Sabha polls when she lost to DMK’s Kanimozhi by a margin of over 3 lakh votes. This time, Tamilisai is up against DMK’s sitting MP Thamizhachi Thangapandian in Chennai South.
For the BJP, it’s another measure of the “desperation” to make an electoral impact in Tamil Nadu, which has spurned its overtures so far. In a state where women voters (3,14,85,724) outnumber men (3,03,996,330), the BJP has been projecting another woman, Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, as its face for some time.
Left without the support of All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), the BJP is seemingly playing its last card with Tamilisai’s comeback for maximising electoral gains.
In 2019, the BJP adopted a similar move in Kerala when the then Mizoram governor Kummanam Rajasekharan resigned from his post only to lose against Shashi Tharoor at Thiruvananthapuram.
“Nobody expected it; it came all of a sudden. BJP is very weak in Tamil Nadu, and she is popular. She is not a stalwart in the BJP. But they wanted her to contest. And that is why she was taken away from here,” Hyderabad-based political commentator Papa Rao told ThePrint.
The Tamil Nadu BJP unit echoes the same sentiment. “There is a tough election to fight in Tamil Nadu. All over India, everyone knows that BJP is returning to power. Tamil Nadu has always been very tough for the BJP. So, we need prominent and good candidates who can fight. That is why, I think the leadership would have taken the decision,” BJP state spokesperson Narayan Thirupathy said.
After announcing her decision to resign, Tamilisai Monday said she resigned of her own volition and there was no pressure. On Wednesday, she rejoined the party in Chennai in the presence of party chief K. Annamalai, and Union ministers L. Murugan and G Kishan Reddy.
“I am in my happiest mood now. I don’t think I have left a very luxurious life and a constitutional post because I love serving the people. I admire our honourable Prime Minister. The way he gets connected with the people; to do service directly to the people. I am not saying, governors are not serving the people. But directly as a ‘karyakartha’ (worker), expressing my political views, and taking forward the political challenges, I was unable to do all that,” Tamilisai said at Kamalalayam, the BJP headquarters in Chennai.
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‘Always acted as a BJP cadre’
Tamilisai always acted as a politician even during her tenure as the Telangana governor, says Chinnappan, a media analyst and former head of the visual communication department of Chennai’s Loyola College.
“Even after she was appointed a governor, she was commenting about Tamil Nadu politics. Just like a BJP cadre, she was giving opinions about the party and other affairs,” Chinnappan said, adding that many times Tamilisai was behaving as the Tamil Nadu BJP chief.
At the height of the Sanatan Dharma row, Tamilisai had promptly reacted to the speech of DMK leader Udhayanidhi Stalin. Calling Udhayanidhi’s remarks ‘mischievous and ignorant’, Tamilisai alleged that the Dravidian party is discriminating against the Hindus in the state.
She has consistently supported the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET), which is opposed by the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) government in Tamil Nadu.
Chinnappan opined that Tamilisai will have much advantage compared to other BJP candidates due to her experience. “She has made it clear that she has an interest in active political life. She must have promised the BJP high command that she can bring success to the NDA, and she can campaign for other candidates as well,” he said.
Her sudden return also suggests that the party’s current state chief may be sidelined shortly following the election, he added.
“She has a good rapport with the other political parties. The AIADMK was sidelined in the NDA, and the reason they are not willing to come to the BJP is because of their opposition towards Annamalai. If Tamilisai was in his place, that alliance must have been sustained,” Chinnappan said.
While snapping ties with the BJP in September 2023, one of the key issues that the AIADMK raised was its differences with Annamalai. AIADMK leaders have lashed out at Annamalai on multiple occasions for his lack of respect for the allies and its former leaders.
In October 2023, Tamilisai attended a Navaratri celebration held in actor Rajinikanth’s house along with ousted AIADMK leader O. Panneerselvam and Durga Stalin, wife of Chief Minister M.K. Stalin.
Chinnappan said that the party’s high command has disagreements with Annamalai and that it was visible in PM Modi’s Coimbatore rally, where a relatively small crowd gathered.
He added that while Tamilisai brings benefits for the BJP in Tamil Nadu, she may not taste electoral success as the sitting DMK MP enjoys a huge support base in Chennai South, dominated by the Brahmin community.
In 2019, writer-turned politician Thangapandian had won with over 5 lakh votes against his AIADMK rival. Since 1957, the constituency has voted for DMK (7 times) followed by Congress (4) and AIADMK (2).
‘Tall leader’ & BJP Nari Shakthi
Expressing confidence over her return, BJP functionary Amar Prasad Reddy said that Tamilisai is a tall leader and that the state leadership is welcoming her with much respect.
“She is bold, and her political moves will always yield good results,” Reddy told ThePrint, adding that her presence will ensure ‘Nari Shakthi’ in the party activities.
Closely associated with the BJP since her youth, the doctor-turned-politician has served many posts in the party since the late 1990s. She was elevated as the party’s general secretary in 2007 and subsequently its vice-president ( 2010) and national secretary (2013). Tamilisai served as the party state chief from 2014 to 2019, when she was chosen to become Telangana governor.
“She was nurturing her political ambition for a long time. Though her father was a Congressman, she joined the BJP and she was expressing her desire either to become an MLA or MP,” Chinnappan said.
BJP spokesperson Thirupathy said that her presence will boost the party cadre and the public alike as she is a ‘familiar face’. “She is the woman face of TN BJP. She served the party very well from the beginning,” he said.
Tamilisai contested in the state polls in 2006, 2011, and 2016 and in the 2009 and 2019 Lok Sabha polls, but lost each time.
In 2006, Tamilisai finished fourth at Radhapuram with 4.70 percent votes. Five years on, she came third at Velachery with a vote share of 4.63. In 2016, her vote share rose to 11.19 percent in Virugampakkam. However, this time too she came third after AIADMK and DMK candidates.
In 2009, she unsuccessfully contested from Chennai North and got 3.54 percent of votes. In 2019, she was routed in Tuticorin despite the BJP having a partnership with the AIADMK.
‘Can’t create any ripples in hometown’
Born to an influential Nadar family at Nagercoil in Kanniyakumari district, Tamilisai is the daughter of former Congress MP Anandan Kumari. Kanniyakumari’s sitting Congress MP Vijay Vasanth and his father and former MP H. Vasanthkumar are close relatives of Tamilisai.
While Nagercoil, dominated by the Nadars, remembers her father and other family members, local residents say that Tamilisai has little hold as she spent most of her life in Chennai and that the constituency traditionally supports the Congress. In fact, Tamilisai had got associated with the BJP during her medical education in Chennai.
“Her father Kumari Anandan who was an MP and Congress veteran couldn’t digest her decision to join the BJP. Both were not on talking terms for a long period. They became close again after she got power and status in the BJP,” said Tinsley, a Nagercoil resident. “She doesn’t have much of a hold here politically.”
Tamilisai’s wedding was attended by both MGR, the then CM and opposition leader Karunanidhi, he added.
Tenure as Telangana governor
Tamilisai’s tenure as the Telangana governor was marred with controversies due to her frequent run-ins with the previous BRS government.
In March 2023, the BRS government moved the Supreme Court against her seeking direction for the governor to clear 10 pending bills. As per the state, seven of the ten bills were pending for over six months. Tamilisai then went on to clear three bills in a month.
The governor had created an impasse when she rejected BRS nominees Dasoju Sravan Kumar and K. Satyanarayana to the post of MLCs under the governor quota in September. The two nominees later approached the high court against the governor.
In her Republic speech this year, Tamilisai called the BRS government ‘dictatorial’ and said Telangana put an end to the rule ‘run against the constitutional spirit’ in the 2023 election.
“In all the states where there are non-BJP governments and BJP governors, the issue is there. It’s the same problem. The intensity of the problem might be different. But it is there,” political commentator Papa Rao said.
But Tamilisai had cooperated with the new Congress government, he said.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
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