CHENNAI: Revealing the growing unease within the party over seat-sharing and delays in candidate selection, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has cancelled his proposed roadshow and campaign in Mylapore. Party sources said on Thursday that Modi will only meet key State leaders on Saturday to review election preparedness.
As the party is struggling to finalise its candidates though only two working days are available till the deadline to file nominations ends on Monday, Union Minister and the BJP’s Tamil Nadu in charge Piyush Goyal and national general secretary (organisation) BL Santhosh have expressed dissatisfaction with the handling of the process by the State unit led by president Nainar Nagenthran.
Following discussions between Union Home Minister Amit Shah and AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami, the BJP secured 27 seats in the AIADMK-led alliance. However, internal dissent surfaced soon after the allocation, with multiple aspirants staking claim to key constituencies, including Coimbatore North.
“The post-allocation dissent and confusion over candidates have unsettled the central leadership," a senior leader told DT Next, adding, "Attempts to swap certain constituencies to accommodate strong contenders did not materialise, as the State leadership cited the AIADMK's firm position."
The delay has complicated the selection process, as several constituencies now have more than five aspirants. The party's central election committee is expected to finalise candidates based on intelligence inputs, likely by Friday.
Another senior leader termed the situation a serious organisational lapse, adding that the high-command is closely monitoring developments. "The candidate selection and electoral performance will determine the future of the State leadership," the leader said.
Meanwhile, adding to the party's challenges ahead of the elections, the State police are set to register an FIR against State vice-president Karu Nagarajan following a sexual harassment complaint lodged by Mahila Morcha functionary Thanga Shobana.