The BJP on Wednesday admitted 17 former MLAs and a former MP, most of whom belonged to its former ally, the AIADMK, into the party.
Twelve out of the 18 persons who crossed over to the national party were elected as legislators of the AIADMK at different points in time. While P.S. Arul was elected from Bhuvanagiri as an Independent in 2001, the two former MLAs of the DMK who switched to the BJP were S. Gurunathan, who was elected from Palayamkottai in 1989, and Gomathi Srinivasan, who served as a Minister in the AIADMK regime during 1980-87 and returned to the Assembly in 1996 as the DMK nominee from Valangaiman, a constituency reserved for the Scheduled Castes (SC).
The remaining two former legislators were R. Thangaraju of Andimadam (elected in 1991) and K. Tamil Azhagan of Tittakudi (2011), who were the nominees of the Congress and the DMDK, respectively, at the time of their election. The lone former parliamentarian was V. Kulandaivelu, who won from the Chidambaram Lok Sabha constituency (SC) in 1980 on a DMK ticket.
Among the AIADMK’s 12 former MLAs were V.R. Jayaraman, who was elected from Theni thrice (1977, 1980 and 1984); K. Vadivel of Karur (1977 and 1984); S.M. Vasan of Vedasandur (1977) S. Muthukrishnan, P.S. Kandasamy and M.V. Rathinam of Kanniyakumari, Aravakurichi and Pollachi, respectively (all elected in 1980), and N.R. Rajendiran of Kattumannarkoil (1991).
Of the remaining five former legislators, there were two women - Selvi Murugesan and Rohini (who was known as A. Karuppayee at the time of her election), of Kangeyam and Kolathur, a SC constituency which was part of Pudukottai district and was abolished after delimitation. Both were elected in 2001. The other three former legislators were Se. Venkatachalam, who won from the now-defunct Salem I in 2001; R. Chinnasamy of Singanallur (2006 and 2011) and R. Doraisamy (alias) Challenger Dorai of Coimbatore (South) in 2011.
Union Ministers of State Rajeev Chandrasekhar and L. Murugan, and Tamil Nadu BJP president K. Annamalai were among the leaders present during the event.
Reacting to the development, senior AIADMK leader C. Ponnaiyan described his former colleagues as those who were “rejected by the rank and file of the party years ago”.
AIADMK deputy general secretary K.P. Munusamy termed the development insignificant. Speaking on the sidelines of a meeting of the local party unit in Krishnagiri district, he said, “As it is, they have done little work for the party, and therefore, they left.”
Meanwhile, senior AIADMK leader D. Jayakumar dismissed BJP leader and Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s statement that the BJP’s doors were open for an alliance in Tamil Nadu, saying the AIADMK had shut its doors on the BJP.
