BJP southern region coordinator Nainar Nagendran on Thursday said he was fully prepared to contest in the Kanniyakumari Lok Sabha by-election if the party high command fielded him. The constituency had fallen vacant following the recent death of Congress MP H. Vasanthakumar. Prominent BJP leader and former Union Minister Pon Radhakrishnan had traditionally contested from the seat including in 2019.
Mr. Nagendran had unsuccessfully contested from the Ramanathapuram Parliamentary constituency last year.
Before participating in a meeting of the BJP office-bearers from all southern districts held in Palayamkottai on Thursday evening, Mr. Nagendran said he had convened the meeting to evolve strategies to prepare the party for next year’s Assembly polls and also for the Kanniyakumari bypoll.
“The BJP candidate to be fielded in Kanniyakumari will register resounding victory in the bypoll. If the high command wants me to contest in the by-election, I am fully prepared,” he said adding that he would make the party feel proud.
Electoral strategies
Mr. Nagendran said the meeting would discuss among other things the electoral strategies to be followed if the BJP had to go it alone in the Assembly polls and in the bypoll for Kanniyakumari.
While acknowledging that the AIADMK and the DMK were stronger than the BJP in Tamil Nadu, he said every party’s real strength would come to light only when the political parties contested the elections on their own instead of going in for electoral alliance with other parties.
“The BJP’s vote bank has grown substantially over the years in Tamil Nadu and hence our party candidates had polled significant votes in the past in the Assembly and Lok Sabha elections. Our base is growing rapidly and the future elections to be held in Tamil Nadu will prove our strength,” Mr. Nagendran claimed.
