Tamil Nadu: Several AIADMK Leaders Including 15 Former MLAs Join BJP Ahead Of Lok Sabha Polls | Details

Right ahead of the Lok Sabha polls this year, several leaders from Tamil Nadu, including 15 former MLAs and an ex-MP, joined the BJP camp on Wednesday in Delhi.

Who all joined the BJP?

Most of the leaders who joined the BJP camp are from the AIADMK, a former BJP ally in the state.

The list of former AIADMK leaders who joined the Bharatiya Janata Party in the presence of Tamil Nadu BJP chief K Annamalai and Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar includes K Vadivel, MV Rathnam, R Chinnaswamy, and PS Kandasamy.

How did the BJP respond?

Welcoming the leaders in Delhi, Tamil Nadu BJP chief K Annamalai said they bring a wealth of experience to the BJP and want to strengthen the hands of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"Tamil Nadu is going the Bharatiya Janata Party way," claimed the state BJP chief.

Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar said that their decision of joining the BJP showed PM Modi's popularity in a state like Tamil Nadu, where the BJP has traditionally been not a big force.

Noting that Modi has projected that the BJP will win 370 seats in the upcoming Lok Sabha and the NDA will cross 400, he claimed that many of these new seats will come from Tamil Nadu.

"It is clear that every citizen of India wants the transformation of the last 10 years to continue," he said.