Senior BJP leader in Tamil Nadu, Pon Radhakrishnan, said on Sunday that the party is yet to decide on alliances for the upcoming bye-polls in the state. Speaking to the press on Sunday Ponnar, as Pon Radhakrishnan is called, said, “BJP has not decided on anything yet. In time, we will be able to make that decision with guidance from our national leaders.”
However, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami seems to be under the impression that the AIADMK-BJP relationship will continue.
Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami told reporters, “A lot of them have said that the alliance will continue. BJP in Tamil Nadu does not have a leader and so there are less opportunities to meet and discuss. But we have expressed our interest to continue the alliance in the bye-polls as well.”
Bye-elections in Nanguneri Assembly constituency are being held as the seat fell vacant after sitting MLA H Vasanthakumar of the Congress party was elected as MP from the Kanyakumari constituency. In Vikravandi, bye-elections are being held due to the death DMK MLA K Radhamani.
While the bye-elections will see tough competition from the ruling AIADMK and DMK, other parties such as Kamal Haasan's Makkal Needhi Maiam and TTV Dhinakaran's Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam have refrained from contesting.
The appointment of BJP Tamil Nadu Chief Tamilisai Soundararajan as Telangana Governor has left a vacant seat for the party chief in the state and it was not long before Ponnar’s name was listed. Pon Radhakrishnan, who was BJP’s lone Lok Sabha MP from Tamil Nadu in 2015, was defeated in the 2019 Lok Sabha Elections. He was Minister of State (MoS) Shipping and MoS Road Transport and Highways in the first Narendra Modi government.