CHENNAI: The BJP, which is part of the AIADMK-led alliance, on Thursday announced its candidates for Lok Sabha elections in Tamil Nadu. State president Tamilisai Soundararajan is the candidate for Thoothukudi. Vice-president Nainar Nagenthran will contest from Ramanathapuram, national secretary H Raja from Sivaganga, Union Minister Pon Radhakrishnan from Kanniyakumari and the party’s former State president CP Radhakrishnan from Coimbatore.
The list was announced in New Delhi by J P Nadda, Union health minister and secretary, BJP’s central election panel. Pon Radhakrishnan (68) was born in Alanthankarai village near Nagercoil in Kanniyakumari district on March 1, 1952. He has bachelor degrees in arts and law. He has been a staunch RSS functionary for many decades. He was elected to Lok Sabha in 1999 and 2014. He held various positions in Central government, including Union minister of state for youth affairs and sports, urban development and poverty alleviation, road transport and highways, heavy industries and public enterprises., He was also a former president of State BJP.
H Raja (61) was born at Melattur near Thanjavur on September 29, 1957. Attracted towards the RSS from the age of seven and since then he had held various positions in RSS, Hindu Munnani and BJP. Raja is a chartered accountant. He is known for his provocative and controversial remarks and many a time, his comments have evoked discussions. He was elected to the State Assembly in 2001. He unsuccessfully contested Assembly election from Alandur and T Nagar constituencies in 2006 and 2016 and 1999 and 2014 Lok Sabha elections from Sivaganga.
Tamilisai Soundararajan (57) hails from a staunch Congress family. Her father Kumari Ananthan being a former TNCC president continues to be a Congressman. A medical practitioner by profession, she has been a full time functionary of BJP for the past 18 years. She has held many posts in the party and also unsuccessfully contested two Assembly elections and parliamentary elections in 2009. She has conducted a programme on oratorical skills for students and children on a Tamil TV Channel for more than 10 years. She had conducted a popular weekly programme for women on Doordarshan which was aired as ‘Magalir Panchayat’ (Women’s Court) for over five years.She has translated many important political and medical articles from English to Tamil.
CP Radhakrishnan (61) was born in Tirupur on May 4,1957. A BBA degree holder, he was attracted towards RSS and Jan Sangh in the early years and took part in Jayaprakash Narayan’s Total Revolution programme in Coimbatore district. He was elected to Lok Sabha in 1988 and in 1999 from Coimbatore constituency. A former president of the State BJP, he had held various positions in Central government committees. At present, he is the chairman of Coir Board.
Nainar Nagenthran is a former AIADMK minister who joined BJP in August 2017. He was elected to the Assembly from Tirunelveli in 2001 and 2011. He lost Assembly elections in 2006 and 2016 from the constituency. After the death of J Jayalalithaa, he joined the BJP and was appointed as State vice-president.
Expenditure Observers
Chief Electoral Officer Satyabrata Sahoo on Thursday said the Election Commission of India had deputed
79 Expenditure Observers for 39 parliamentary constituencies in Tamil Nadu, of whom three were for the expenditure-sensitive constituency of North Chennai alone.