As the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is all set to complete seat-sharing talks for the Parliament elections, there is a high demand for the Madurai constituency from its leaders.
If the BJP is able to get the Madurai seat, it is expecting to make a big impact by cashing in on the perceived Narendra Modi wave and taking into account various local dynamics.
While sources in the party’s district unit told
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“There are 12 names in circulation for Madurai seat. If our party is able to get Madurai after negotiations with the Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK), then we will send a list of probable candidates to the party leadership,” a senior leader said.
Party’s State unit may finalise the candidates immediately after national president Rajnath Singh’s visit to Chennai on March 13.
While the local leaders are keen on submitting their applications, the district unit is waiting for some clarity on the constituency from where Mr.Raja will contest.
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A leader said fielding a person from the Sourashtra community would be advantageous in view of the Modi factor.
“In that case, A.R. Mahalakshmi, the State vice-president of BJP Mahila Morcha, could be considered. She is making her moves through national leaders,” sources said.
The other names doing the rounds include BJP Medical Cell president Dr.Kailairajan, State vice-president S. Surendran, former district president M. Rajarathinam, former Mayor candidate U. Rajendran, advocate Rajamanickam, freedom fighter V.O. Chidambaranar’s grandson Chidambaram, former district president K. Murali, State executive committee member Ravi Bala and district functionary Karthik Prabhu.
Meanwhile, the BJP launched ‘Vote for Modi’ campaign from Periyar bus stand on Tuesday evening.
“The BJP will contest from eight seats in Tamil Nadu, and if Madurai is one among them, our cadres will be happy. At the moment, I can say that there are more chances of Mr.Raja contesting from Madurai,” a senior party office-bearer said.