ഡോ. തമിഴിസൈ സൗന്ദരരാജൻ

Senior BJP leader Tamilisai Soundararajan is contesting the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections from the Mylapore constituency in Chennai, positioning her campaign as an effort to “restore the legacy” of one of the city’s most historic and culturally significant seats.

A former Governor of Telangana and a prominent face of the Tamil Nadu BJP, Soundararajan has framed Mylapore as more than just an electoral battleground. Calling it the “cultural centre of Chennai”, she has emphasised its deep-rooted heritage, marked by temple-lined streets, traditional sabhas and long-standing residential communities.

Soundararajan’s political career spans over two decades within the Bharatiya Janata Party. Trained as a medical doctor, she entered politics in the late 1990s and rose through the party ranks, holding organisational roles before becoming the president of the BJP’s Tamil Nadu unit from 2014 to 2019. She also served as a national secretary of the party, playing a key role in expanding its presence in the state.

In 2019, she was appointed Governor of Telangana, becoming the first woman to hold the post in the state, and later took on additional charge as Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry. She stepped down from these constitutional roles in 2024 and rejoined active politics with the BJP ahead of the current electoral cycle.

Her electoral journey includes multiple contests in both Assembly and Lok Sabha elections, including high-profile parliamentary races from Thoothukudi in 2019 and Chennai South in 2024, reflecting her role as one of the BJP’s key campaign faces in Tamil Nadu.

For the BJP, her candidature in Mylapore is strategically significant. The party, contesting in alliance with the AIADMK, is seeking to expand its footprint in urban Tamil Nadu, particularly in constituencies that have traditionally leaned towards Dravidian parties.

Candidate Info: Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan is the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate contesting from Mylapore (General) Assembly constituency for the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections. This female candidate is 64 years of age, according to the election affidavit submitted to the Election Commission of India.