In a development apparently anticipated by the Tamil Nadu Congress for weeks, sitting party MLA Vijayadharani has joined the BJP, marking a significant defection from the grand old party. The crossover was formalised at the BJP headquarters in New Delhi on Saturday in a ceremony attended by several BJP leaders, including Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting L Murugan and the party's Tamil Nadu in-charge Arvind Menon. Vijayadharani, a three-time MLA from Vilavancode in the Kanniyakumari district, made her resignation from the Congress public on Saturday, stating on X: “I am resigning from the position of primary membership and related posts held by me in the Congress party.” Her switch to the BJP is viewed as a blow to the Congress in the state, with its tally now dipping to 17 MLAs in the 234-member Assembly. Vijayadharani’s political career, deeply rooted in the Congress since her student days, saw her representing Vilavancode since 2011, even as she also worked as the former president of the Tamil Nadu Mahila Congress. She is the great-granddaughter of Tamil poet and social reformer Kavimani Desigavinayagam Pillai, known for his contributions to Tamil literature, spirituality, and social reform, especially his anti-caste views and works focusing on children. Addressing the media at the BJP headquarters, Vijayadharani spoke about her admiration for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, and voiced concerns over the implementation of Central schemes in states like Tamil Nadu and West Bengal. She also highlighted the BJP government’s efforts in passing the Bill to provide 33% reservation for women in Parliament and state Assemblies as a commendable step towards empowering women in the political arena. Her decision to switch allegiances was also praised by Tamil Nadu BJP president K Annamalai, who highlighted the influence of Modi’s leadership on her decision and welcomed her to the party, stating that her induction would strengthen the BJP’s presence in Tamil Nadu, where the BJP has currently just four MLAs and no MPs. Her defection comes amid reports of dissatisfaction within the state Congress, with Vijayadharani reportedly upset with the party leadership’s decisions, including being overlooked for the post of the floor leader in the Tamil Nadu Assembly and not being nominated as the candidate for the Kanyakumari Lok Sabha constituency in 2019 and its subsequent by-election in 2021. Sources said a clear message from the party that she would not be fielded in the Lok Sabha seat in 2024 led to her decision to quit. In response to her resignation, K Selvaperunthagai, Tamil Nadu Congress chief, announced that the party would approach Assembly Speaker M Appavu to seek her disqualification. Though her resignation comes a week after Selvaperunthagai took charge as the state unit chief, sources close to Vijayadharani said she made the decision more than a week ago following her meetings with Menon and senior BJP leaders in Delhi over the last two weeks. Sources in the Tamil Nadu Congress said even central party leaders were unable to reach out to her in the last two weeks.
