Tamil Nadu BJP's new President hails from traditional Congress family

Although her father was a former TNCC president, Tamilisai Sounderrajan decided to join BJP

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) today appointed its national secretary, Dr Tamilisai Sounderrajan, as the party's Tamil Nadu unit president. She replaces Pon Radhakrishnan, who was inducted in Narendra Modi's cabinet upon winning the Kanyakumari seat in the recently-concluded general elections.

A 53-year-old medical professional, Tamilisai Sounderrajan will be the first women Tamil Nadu BJP's Unit President. She was nominated to the post by party president Amit Shah in Delhi, BJP said in a release.

Daughter of veteran Congress leader Kumari Ananthan, she hails from a traditional Congress family. Although her father was a former TNCC president, Sounderrajan decided to join the BJP.

An orator and writer, Sounderrajan started her political career while she was still a student. She has earlier unsuccessfully contested the Assembly and parliamentary polls. She was the former state vice-president and general secretary of the BJP.

Talking to reporters at the Party's State Head Quarters in Chennai today, she said the BJP would emerge as one of the major parties in the 2016 Assembly election and would play a key role in decision taking.