Actor, director and Bharatiya Janata Party member Visu recently said that he will be campaigning for BJP in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, but not for the party’s Tamil Nadu president Tamilisai Soundararajan whom he had not met since he joined the party three years back.
“I will campaign for BJP but not for Tamiliasai’s constituency. It has been three years since I joined the party, and I haven’t been able to meet her even once,” he reportedly said in an interview. He will campaign for the remaining four BJP members in the state who are contesting as a part of the AIADMK alliance.
Until now there have been no public disagreements between him and Tamilisai Soudararajan, so their reason for not meeting each other in the last three years is uncertain. When Silverscreen reached out to him, he refused to comment further on this.
Visu joined BJP in January 2016, at a public event attended by Tamiliasai and BJP minister Pon Radhakrishnan. During the recent interview, he reiterated what he had said while joining the party, “I want to do my best for the people and feel politics is the best way to do it. I believe in nationalism and spirituality and I found it in BJP. Hence I chose to join the party.”
Visu had made his political entry by joining AIADMK in 2006, but he quit after Jalayalaithaa’s death. Following Modi’s victory in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, he joined BJP reportedly because of Modi’s “capability to bring about a much needed change.” Lyricist, singer and composer Gangai Amaren, and actor Nepoleon, a former DMK MLA of Villivakkam constituency, had also just joined the party.
Months after their entry into BJP, Modi visited Tamil Nadu to campaign for the 2016 Assembly Elections. BJP contested the elections alone that year after its allies from the Lok Sabha polls, including DMDK and PMK, charted their own course. The party, however, won no seats in the Assembly polls.
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This year’s Lok Sabha elections are scheduled to happen on April 18 in Tamil Nadu. The BJP has allied with AIADMK for five seats. Ramdoss’ PMK has returned to the alliance after 10 years, and will contest in seven constituencies. Vijayakanth’s DMDK, as a part of the alliance, will field candidates in four constituencies.
The Congress-DMK alliance, Dhinakaran’s AMMK have also announced their candidates list. Kamal Haasan’s Makkal Needhi Madram will announce its second list of nominees tomorrow.
Image Courtesy: ToI