TN mass leader Annamalai changes mind, will contest LS poll from CPM bastion

CHENNAI: BJP, yearning for a representation from South India, has fielded Tamil Nadu BJP President K Annamalai from Coimbatore, with high hopes about upending the political landscape of the state. The announcement comes just days after PM Modi’s euphoric roadshow in Coimbatore which saw thousands pouring in attendance. Coimbatore, a CPM bastion for years is slowly changing into a conducive terrain for the saffron party.

If Annamalai manages to do a coup in Coimbatore, it is more or less certain that the Karur native will end up being a union minister in Modi’s third term in Delhi. DMK is contesting from CPM's sitting constituency this time. In 2019, CPM candidate PR Natarajan, who contested in the DMK alliance, won with a majority of 1,79,143 votes in Coimbatore. Natarajan was the parliamentary party leader of CPM. This time Ganapathy P Rajkumar is contesting for DMK.

In 2019, BJP candidate CP Radhakrishnan was able to secure 3,92,007 votes from Coimbatore and finished second. This time, PM Modi has entrusted Annamalai Kuppusamy, a former civil servant, to make lotus bloom in the constituency.

Annamalai earlier said he would not contest in the elections but had to reverse his decision now after getting wheedled by the BJP central leadership.

Candidates for nine constituencies in Tamil Nadu have been announced in BJP's third phase candidate list. Tamilisai Soundarrajan will contest from Chennai South. Pon Radhakrishnan will contest again in Kanyakumari. Union Minister L Murugan, who was recently elected to the Rajya Sabha from Madhya Pradesh, will contest from the Nilgiris. BJP has nominated Nainar Nagendran as thier candidate against Kanimozhi in Thoothukudi.