Rajinikanth as next Telangana Governor? Tamilisai banks on political future in Tamil Nadu

HYDERABAD: Will Superstar Rajinikanth become the next Governor of Telangana? That's the speculation doing the rounds of political circles as current Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan decided to resign from her post on Monday.

As expected, Tamilisai had sent her resignation to President Droupadi Murmu and sent a copy to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home minister Amit Shah too.

It is being reported that Tamilisai is likely to contest from her home State of Tamil Nadu from either Tirunelveli, Kanyakumari or South Chennai constituencies.

Why Rajinikanth

Rajinikanth recently surprised everyone when he paid a visit to the Hyderabad Metro Rail project this month. He explored the various aspects of the project, with a particular focus on the Operations Control Center (OCC). The Metro Rail officials expressed happiness over a celebrity's visit to the center.

Rajinikanth has been openly known to favour the BJP ever since he decided to take the political plunge. Though his party, the Rajini Makkal Mandram (RMM), never went the full hog due to his health issues, the Superstar has always seen as someone who could squeeze in life for the saffron party in the South. The post of Governor could be a reward for extending his loyalties to the BJP.

What prompted Tamilisai to resign?

When Prime Minister Narendra Modi decided to take part in campaigns in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh this month, he ended up halting at the Raj Bhavan several times. Sources shared that this is when the Governor had confabulations with the Prime Minister and discussed her political future.

According to reliable information, the Prime Minister assured that even if Tamilisai remained unsuccessful in her Lok Sabha campaign in Tamil Nadu, she could be accommodated in the Rajya Sabha.

For the last one year, there have been heavy speculations on Tamilisai's political entry after she gave a tough fight to DMK leader Kanimozhi in Tuticorin in 2019. This was the reason the BJP too was keen on fielding her again in polls to get a foothold in Tamil Nadu.

As a reward for her performance in the 2019 elections, Tamilisai was nominated as the Governor of Telangana and was given an additional charge as the Lt Governor of Puducherry.

In her stint as the Telangana Governor, Tamilisai was at loggerheads with the earlier BRS Government, most notably over passage of Bills and approval of BRS nominees as MLCs. Tamilisai dodged and ducked over 10 Bills passed by the BRS legislature. She finally cleared some. She rejected the Cabinet recommendation of two nominated MLCs under Governor quota.

The former Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao (KCR) also tried to placate her and asked her to take part in the inauguration of a temple, church and mosque on the premises of the new Secretariat but that was a short-lived truce.

Soon after the Congress Government assumed charge, she demonstrated a cordial relationship with Chief Minister Revanth Reddy as she approved the names recommended by the State Government for the Telangana State Public Service Commission. She also approved the names of MLC candidates proposed by the State Government.