Telangana governor resigns, likely to contest Lok Sabha polls: Report
Tamilisai Soundararajan, the governor of Telangana and lieutenant-governor of Puducherry, has officially resigned from her role. According to reports, Soundararajan tendered her resignation to President Droupadi Murmu on Monday. Speculation suggests that the former governor, who was earlier the chief of the Tamil Nadu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), is likely to contest the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. However, an official confirmation is yet to be released.
Soundararajan likely to contest Lok Sabha elections
According to media reports, Soundararajan is likely to be named in the third list of candidates for the general elections. Last week, the BJP unveiled its second list of 72 candidates for the general elections on Wednesday. The list featured prominent names like Union Ministers Piyush Goyal, Nitin Gadkari, and former Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar.
Soundararajan unsuccessfully contested 2019 general elections
Soundararajan was sworn in as the then-fledgling state's second governor in 2019 and was later assigned the additional charge as lieutenant-governor of Puducherry in February 2021. Soundararajan contested the 2019 election from Puducherry but was beaten. She also contested the Chennai (North) seat in 2009 and lost that as well, to the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam's TKS Elangovan. She also unsuccessfully contested the Tamil Nadu Assembly thrice— from Radhapuram in 2006, Velachery in 2011, and Virugampakkam in 2016.
Recalling Soundararajan's tussels with BRS-led Telangana government
To recall, Soundararajan had numerous run-ins with the Telangana government during her term when Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) was in power. In March 2023, the BRS went to the Supreme Court complaining of delays in clearing bills passed by the legislature. She also sparked a similar row in August last year after returning four bills, including one on public employment, state government-run universities, and an amendment to the panchayat governance.
Lok Sabha elections to be held in 7 phases
The Election Commission of India (ECI) announced the dates for the 2024 general election on Saturday. The polling will be held in seven phases, beginning on April 19. The results for all polls, including by-elections, assembly elections, and general elections, will be announced on June 4. With this, the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) also came into action and will stay in effect until the Lok Sabha election results are announced.