CHENNAI: It’s anyone’s guess as to who might replace Tamil Nadu BJP president Tamilisai Soundararajan. Party insiders say former AIADMK minister Nainar Nagenthran, State general secretary from Thanjavur M ‘Karuppu’ Muruganantham and former Union Minister Pon Radhakrishnan are top contenders for the post in the State in which the BJP has struggled to gain a foothold. Still, the number of names being discussed suggests the state unit is open to the possibility of the national leadership making an unexpected choice.
Nagenthran joined BJP two years ago, after the death of late CM J Jayalalithaa, and is a strong organiser but his status as a newcomer may act against him. Muruganantham and ex-state chief Ponnar have RSS roots, which may aid their chances. Other contenders are ex-MP CP Radhakrishan, national secretary H Raja and state functionaries KS Narendran, Vanathi Sreenivasan and R Srinivasan.