Tamil Nadu BJP leaders in Delhi, candidates list to be scrutinised

CHENNAI: After their efforts to build a strong alliance inclusive of DMDK failed, state BJP leaders, including Tamil Nadu unit president Tamilisai Soundararajan, will meet party top brass in Delhi to scrutinise its candidates list for the May 16 assembly polls.

"We have arrived in Delhi with our list of candidates and we will be taking part in a meeting today to be chaired by party chief Amit Shah," BJP National Secretary H Raja told PTI over phone.

Asked if the list of candidates would be released at the end of the meeting, he said that "there is a possibility" but it could not be spelt out categorically.

Soundararajan said the candidates list will be scrutinised by the party top bosses and other electoral issues would also be discussed.

Besides Raja and Tamilisai, Union Minister Pon Radhakrishnan and others have also gone to Delhi for the meeting.

Left with smaller parties -- the Indiya Jananayaka Katchi and the New Justice Party, party sources said BJP is toying with the idea of being the "early bird in the electoral arena" by releasing its candidates rather than expending its energy to rope in smaller allies.

After the AISMK-led by actor-turned-politician Sarath Kumar reverted to the AIADMK camp, BJP is left with just IJK and NJP.

"The proposal is to go ahead and release a first list featuring candidates with potential and also announcing nominees in regions with strong support base of the party," a senior party functionary said, adding that a final call would be taken by party bosses.

Speaking to reporters here, Radhakrishnan lashed out at AIADMK and DMK for being "unqualified" to fight elections alone even after ruling the state for some 50 years.

He recalled how his party was able to win an assembly seat as early as 1996 in Tamil Nadu by fighting alone.

"You would have heard of match fixing. Now election fixing is happening. Affluent parties have started buying parties in the market," he said.