Telangana Governor Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan resigns, to contest LS polls

Telangana: Telangana and Puducherry Governor Dr Tamilisai Soundarrajan will be contesting in the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections from Tamil Nadu. The election nessessiates her to resign from the post of Governor for Telangana and Union Terrority Puducherry.

Soundararajan, daughter of veteran Congressman Kumari Ananthan, has been in the BJP for over two decades before she was sent as Governor.

The general election for 543 Lok Sabha seats will be held in seven phases from April 19, and counting will be held on June 4. Polling in Tamil Nadu’s 39 Lok Sabha seats will be held in the first phase on a single day on April 19.

Soundararajan who was Tamil Nadu BJP chief till 2019, was appointed as Telangana Governor in September 2019. She was given additional charge as L-G of Puducherry on February 16 2021, after incumbent Kiran Bedi was removed. She is the fifth woman to hold the office of the Union Territory.

In her politcal career, Soundararajan has lost in all her attempts at becoming an MP or MLA to date, having contested two Assembly elections and Parliament elections unsuccessfully. In the 2019 Indian general election, she lost against Kanimozhi Karunanidhi, daughter of former chief minister of Tamil Nadu M Karunanidhi from Thoothukkudi.

This time elections in Tamil Nadu will be between the ruling DMK, opposition AIADMK and BJP. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections the DMK led by M K Stalin, current chief minister, swept winning 38 out of the 39 seats.

Tamilisai thanks people of Telangana for showering love on their 'Akka'

Tamilisai thanked the people of the state for the love and affection they had shown her.

Soundararajan said she was unhappy to leave the people of Telangana but was content that she was returning to "the service of people".

"I am very unhappy to leave the Telangana people. I thank each and everyone, my brothers, sisters and elders of Telangana. I will be always in touch with you. Telangana days are very, very memorable for me. I really thank them for the love and affection shown on me. Your sister, ever," she said, directing her comments at the people of the state, while speaking to reporters.

"But, I am happy I am returning to the service of people," she said.

"As I am stepping down as Governor of Telangana, I find myself overwhelmed with a myriad of emotions. It has been an incredible journey serving this beautiful state, one that has been filled with joy, challenges, and above all, the warmth and affection of all my brothers and sisters of Telangana," she said.