Tamilisai Soundararajan, 62, assumed office as Telangana's second Governor in November 2019 and took on the additional responsibility as Lieutenant-Governor of Puducherry in February 2021.
Tamilisai Soundararajan has resigned as the Telangana and Puducherry Governor amid buzz that the former leader of BJP”s Tamil Nadu unit will likely run in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections from the southern state. She sent her resignation letter to President Droupadi Murmu this morning.
Soundararajan, 62, assumed office as Telangana”s second Governor in November 2019 and took on the additional responsibility as Lieutenant-Governor of Puducherry in February 2021.
There are reports suggesting her potential return to BJP and contesting from one of three Lok Sabha constituencies in Tamil Nadu, including Thoothukudi, currently held by DMK”s Kanimozhi. In her previous electoral attempts, Soundararajan faced defeat in the 2019 election from this seat. She contested the Chennai (North) seat in 2009, losing to TKS Elangovan of the DMK.
She also fought the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections thrice, vying for seats in Radhapuram in 2006, Velachery in 2011, and Virugampakkam in 2016. Despite her efforts, she faced defeat in all three elections, with the initial loss to the DMK and subsequent defeats to the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), a former BJP ally.
As a Governor, Soundararajan had numerous conflicts with the Telangana government, particularly when the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), whom she accused of breaching protocol, held power. Tensions between Soundararajan and former Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao escalated over the years, with the Governor even accusing the Chief Minister of illegally tapping her phone.
In March last year, the BRS approached the Supreme Court, echoing complaints similar to those of other non-BJP state governments, regarding delays in the approval of bills passed by the legislature.
Subsequently, in August, Soundararajan rejected four bills, including those concerning state-run universities, public employment, and amendments to the panchayat administration.
In recent developments, Soundararajan, who previously served as the BJP Tamil Nadu unit president before assuming her role in Telangana, expressed her desire to contest the Lok Sabha elections from Puducherry.
“While my desire is to represent the people, I will respect the decisions of the Prime Minister and the Home Minister,” she informed reporters in Puducherry after completing her three-year term as the lieutenant governor.
Soundararajan’s resignation coincides with Prime Minister Narendra Modi”s rally in Telangana”s Jagtial and a roadshow in Tamil Nadu”s Coimbatore on Monday. The BJP has intensified its efforts in the southern region, where it has encountered challenges. PM Modi has already undertaken five visits to Tamil Nadu this year, highlighting the BJP”s pursuit in a state where it lacks a significant alliance partner.
The AIADMK severed ties with the BJP in September last year following repeated criticisms by the BJP”s state unit leader, K Annamalai, targeting past and present AIADMK leaders, including its founder and former Chief Minister MG Ramachandran, along with his mentor, CN Annadurai, the state”s inaugural Chief Minister.
Despite the BJP”s overtures, the AIADMK has stuck to its refusal, leaving the national party to contest all 39 Lok Sabha seats in alliance with local parties, within a state where it garnered less than three percent of the votes in the last election.
