Radhika Sarathkumar As BJP Candidate From Virudhunagar – It’s Mostly About Sarathkumar’s Politics
As part of the deal her husband Sarathkumar made with the BJP after merging his All India Samathuva Makkal Katchi (AISMK) with the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led party, Radhika Sarathkumar has been named as the candidate from Virudhunagar Lok Sabha constituency for the upcoming elections. The famous actress is not new to politics. Before her political activism in BJP now and AISMK earlier, she was once a member of All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhakam (AIADMK) in 2000s and was associated with Dravida Munnetra Kazhakam (DMK) before that. In other words, the talented actress, who has been part of various film industries in the past including Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu and Kannada, apart from Hindi, followed her husband’s political leanings in last two decades.
Like many in Tamil movie industry, as its many famous faces never shied away from declaring and associating with the mainstream political activities (chief ministers MG Ramachandran, Jayalalithaa, M Karunanidhi, actors Kamal Haasan, Vijayakanth, and the recent entrant Thalapathi Vijay), Sarathkumar’s career was also associated with political undercurrents in the Southern state. Though, he started with his allegiances to Jayalalithaa (AIADMK) in the first phase, he then shifted his side to M Karunanidhi (DMK) after a fallout with yesteryear matinee idol Jayalalithaa over a video tape of a yet to be released movie. With DMK, he had the highest point of his political career, in which he was nominated to the Rajya Sabha, in 2001. Before this, he had contested the 1998 Lok Sabha elections from Tirunelveli and lost.
However, he cut his ties with Kalaigner in 2006 and joined AIADMK along with wife Radhika. But, in that year itself, Radhika was expelled from the party in October and he followed her by resigning from Jayalalithaa’s party in November.
In 2007, he went on to start his own political party, AISMK, alleging that Dravida parties couldn’t help Tamil Nadu progress. But, as time established, he had to, later, join one of the Dravida parties for an alliance and try his luck in electoral politics, again. That happened in 2011 when Sarathkumar contested the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections in alliance with AIADMK (that too with their party symbol ‘two leaves’) and won from Tenkashi. However, during the next elections in 2016, he was defeated by DMK in Tiruchendur, when he contested elections with AIADMK, that time as well.
Then next year, wisdom struck Sarathkumar. He was reportedly said that the alliance with AIADMK had caused stagnancy in the growth prospects of his party, though they had bigger benefits from the association with him. He had also said that he wanted to see his party growing and himself as chief minister candidate.
But, in a state where two parties have established their hegemony in electoral politics for decades and national parties like Congress and BJP were small alliance partners, and in a state where popular actors like Vijayakanth and Kamal Haasan were struggling to find prime positions, Sarathkumar also found it difficult in the next elections as well – in 2021, when DMK’s MK Stalin, with a landslide victory, demolished the political future of AIADMK who were fighting several battles (inside and outside) after the death of their charismatic leader J Jayalalithaa.
In that state assembly election, Sarathkumar’s party was in alliance with Janata Dal (Secular), Kamal Haasan”s Makkal Needhi Maiam and TR Paarivendhar”s Indiya Jananayaka Katchi. Right before this election, Radhika had announced her interest in full time politics keeping aside her entertainment career.
Now, cut-to-2024.
Known as the “Supreme Star,” he has reportedly faced prolonged struggles due to a lack of significant opportunities. Once a prominent leader of the Nadikar Sangam, the influential actors” association in Tamil Nadu, and a three-time chief of the organisation, he has had his share of encounters with the Income Tax department of India, a ‘tool’ as accused by the Opposition of being used by the BJP government to coerce opponents into joining the national party.
On March 6, he had announced that his party will join NDA alliance to elect Narendra Modi as Prime Minister of India for a third time after two rounds of talks with BJP leaders.
But, he went a little further than that on March 12. He merged his AISMK with BJP and called the move a “conscious decision” to work for Prime Minister Narendra Modi. BJP’s Tamil Nadu state chief and its Coimbatore candidate K Annamalai said he received a phone call from the actor informing that he is merging the party with BJP to support Prime Minister Modi.
I wish to place on record my heartfelt thanks to our Vishwaguru, the true ally of Penn Shakthi, our Honourable Prime Minister Thiru @narendramodi avargal, for entrusting me with the golden opportunity to contest from the Virudhunagar Lok Sabha constituency.
I take an oath today,… pic.twitter.com/4zntRudH7K
— Radikaa Sarathkumar (@realradikaa) March 22, 2024
Belonging to Nadar community, who has predominant presence in the South Tamil Nadu, BJP believes that Sarathkumar’s presence in BJP would sway a part of community votes for them.
Virudhunagar, in which Radhika Sarathkumar has been fielded now, comes in the Southern part of Tamil Nadu, and has significant Nadar votes. The constituency is currently represented by Congress’ B Manickam Tagore, a permanent invitee to party’s highest decision-making body, Congress Working Committee.
Radhika Sarathkumar
Radhika Sarathkumar stands as a prominent figure in the realm of Indian cinema, recognized for her multifaceted talents as an actress, producer, and television personality. With a career spanning over four decades, she has left an indelible mark on the South Indian film industry.
Born on August 21, 1963, in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Radhika ventured into the film industry at a young age and quickly rose to fame with her exceptional acting prowess. Her versatility allowed her to seamlessly transition between various genres, portraying diverse characters that resonated with audiences.
Radhika”s cinematic journey boasts an impressive array of acclaimed performances in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, and Kannada films. Some of her notable works include “Niram Maratha Pookal,” “Keladi Kanmani,” “Chinna Thambi,” and “Suryavamsam,” among numerous others. Her ability to breathe life into complex roles has earned her accolades and a dedicated fan base across the Indian subcontinent.
Beyond her contributions to the silver screen, Radhika has also made significant strides in the realm of television production with her production company, Radaan Mediaworks, which has been instrumental in producing several successful television serials.
Born to the renowned actor MR Radha and Geetha, her upbringing was enriched by a blend of cultural influences—her father hailing from Chennai and her mother being a Sri Lankan Tamil. Radhika”s educational journey took her across India, Sri Lanka, and the United Kingdom. Within her immediate family, Radhika shares close bonds with her younger sister Nirosha, who is also an actress, and her two younger brothers, Raju and Mohan. Additionally, she has two half-brothers, Radha Ravi and M.R.R Vasu, further enriching her familial network.
In 2001, Radhika tied the knot with Sarathkumar, with whom she had shared the screen in notable films like “Namma Annachi” (1994) and “Suryavamsam” (1997). Their union blessed them with a son, Rahul, in 2004. She has a daughter from a previous marriage, Rayane, born in 1992, who married cricketer Abhimanyu Mithun in 2016.
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