Ex-India leggie L Sivaramakrishan joins BJP; party says alliance with AIADMK cordial, open

In the latest development in Tamil Nadu politics, former Indian cricketer L Sivaramakrishnan joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday in the presence of state BJP chief L Murugan and the party's national secretary CT Ravi. The former Indian leg spinner joined the saffron party along with other eminent personalities ahead of the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections scheduled to be held in May 2021. Sivaramakrishan's move to join the BJP was welcomed by many across the state. 

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'Cordial & open' 

Addressing a press conference on Wednesday along with L Murugan, BJP's CT Ravi said that the NDA's co-ordination committee would decide on the CM face after it returns to power. CT Ravi's statement comes days after AIADMK ministers maintained that Edappadi Palaniswami would remain the party's CM face and that the 'two-leaves party' would be the decision-maker on who would be at the helm of affairs. The BJP national secretary also said that the alliance between the saffron party and AIADMK was cordial and open. 

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Tamil Nadu Assembly elections

Two warring factions in AIADMK - of Deputy CM O Pannerselvam (OPS) and CM E Palaniswamy (EPS) - reconciled after the party named incumbent E Palaniswamy as its CM candidate and O Panneerselvam as the chief of the 11-member steering committee. On the other hand, the DMK-Congress alliance eye to ride on the anti-incumbency wave to overthrow the ruling AIADMK government - with MK Stalin eyeing his maiden stint as the CM of the state. Kamal Haasan's Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) has also sounded the poll bugle in the state as the actor has embarked on a series of campaigns across the state. 

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Superstar Rajinikanth took his fans by surprise after he announced his decision to not take the political plunge on Tuesday citing health concerns. The Kollywood megastar was scheduled to announce the launch of his party on December 31 and his party on January subsequently; however, he withdrew from the political race months ahead of the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections. Rajinikanth indicated he did not want to sound chivalrous by saying he will join politics despite his severe health concerns and that he did not want to "make a victim" of his supporters now. "Therefore, I inform with great regret I am unable to come to politics by floating a political party. Only I know the pain behind making this announcement," the 70-year-old actor said. The 234 seats in Tamil Nadu assembly will be going to polls in May next year.

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