CHENNAI: The BJP on Friday released its second and final list of candidates for Tamil Nadu for the Lok Sabha election. The second list has 15 candidates. The BJP is contesting in 20 constituencies and four candidates from its coalition partners are contesting in the party’s Lotus symbol.
The BJP has fielded actor Radikaa Sarathkumar from Virudhunagar constituency. She joined the party soon after her husband R Sarathkumar merged his 17-year-old All India Samathuva Makkal Katchi with the BJP on March 12. Later, she met Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a public meeting on March 15.
She will take on DMDK’s candidate Vijay Prabhakaran, who is the son of party founder and late actor Vijayakant. Manickam Tagore of Congress is the sitting MP from Virudhunagar, which has been allotted again to the grand old party in the DMK-led alliance. The party is yet to announce its candidates.
Meanwhile, the BJP has fielded VS Nandhini for the by-election to the Vilavancode Assembly constituency. S Vijayadharani, who represented this constituency for the Congress, quit the party on February 24 and joined the BJP. However, Vijayadharani has not been given ticket to contest in this election.
Though BJP state president K Annamalai had earlier said that the party was keen to field more women candidates and more women had expressed interest as well, the party has fielded women in only three of the 20 constituencies.
Last month, when union minister L Murugan was elected to the Rajya Sabha from Madhya Pradesh, there was a widespread perception that the BJP was not ready to field key leaders, fearing failure. However, the party has fielded several known faces in a bid to put up a strong fight and, perhaps, to test the ground for the 2026 Assembly election.
Nainar Nagenthran, present legislature party leader of the BJP in Tamil Nadu, is contesting from Tirunelveli. Raama Sreenivasan, BJP state general secretary, who was earlier expected to be fielded in Tiruchy, has been allotted Madurai. There was opposition from BJP functionaries in Tiruchy for fielding Srinivasan and they wanted the party to field someone from that district. Tiruchy has now been given to AMMK led by TTV Dhinakaran.
Karuppu M Muruganandam, another state general secretary of the BJP, has been fielded from Thanjavur where he will take on DMK candidate S Murasoli and the candidate to be put up by the DMDK. P Karthiyayini, BJP state general secretary and former mayor of Vellore corporation, will contest from Chidambaram reserved constituency. She is pitted against VCK president Thol Thirumavalavan.
KP Ramalingam, state vice president of the BJP, will contest from Namakkal. .
As expected, Tamizhaga Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam president B John Pandian will be contesting from Tenkasi and will take on the candidate to be put up by Puthiya Thamizhagam led by K Krishnasamy as part of the AIADMK alliance and the DMK candidate Dr Rani Srikumar.
TMC president GK Vasan has announced the following candidates: P Vijayakumar for Erode and VN Venugopal for Sriperumbudur. He will be announcing the party candidate for Thoothukudi on March 24. The AMMK is yet to announce its candidates for Tiruchy and Theni constituencies.
BJP fails to walk the Annamalai talk
Though BJP state president K Annamalai had earlier said that the party was keen to field more women candidates and more women had expressed interest as well, the party has now fielded women in only three of the 20 constituencies.