Tamilisai Soundararajan is one of the Governors of non-BJP ruled states who are at loggerheads with the parties in power in their respective states.
Seen by many in Telangana’s ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) as someone who still has allegiance to the Bharatiya Janata party (BJP), Tamilisai has been in the news for more than a year for the rift with the state government. She, however, has blamed the BRS government for the strained relations saying it is insulting the office of Governor.
Hailing from neighbouring Tamil Nadu, Tamilisai had earlier headed BJP in that state. BRS leaders say that she is still acting as a BJP leader.
Tamilisai took charge as Governor of Telangana on September 8, 2019. She was the first woman to hold this office in the state, which was carved out of Andhra Pradesh in 2014. She also assumed the office of the Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry on February 18, 2021.
Born on June 2, 1961, in Nagercoil of Kanya Kumari district in Tamil Nadu, she started her career as a medical practitioner after completing her MBBS and PG in Gynecology.
Daughter of a well-known Congress leader Kumari Anandhan, she has been a student leader since her medical college days. From 1999 to 2007 she served as officer bearers of bodies of medical professionals
Tamilisai worked as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Gynecology at Sri Rama Chandra Medical College, Chennai for seven years and resigned in 2003 for full time political engagements.
It was in 2007 that she was appointed general secretary of Tamil Nadu BJP and the state spokesperson and held the post till 2010 when she became state vice president of the party.
In 2013, the party appointed her as the national secretary. In August 2014, she was made state president of the party and held that post till September 2019
Tamilsai unsuccessfully contested for Tamil Nadu Assembly elections in 2006, 2011 and 2016 and Lok Sabha polls in 2009 and 2019.
She is the author of two medical books titled ‘Guidelines to Sonology’. She penned two books on Prime Minister Narendra Modi (‘Achievements of Modi Ji’ in Tamil and ‘Modi Ji Sri Lankan Visit’). And she authored a book ‘How to Win Elections’, a book on quotes of Amit Shah.
Tamilsai was also quite active in the literary field, serving as vice President of Tamil Literary Forum. She authored book on Tamil literature ‘Sips of Tea’.
She has contributed literary and political articles in several Tamil and English magazines. She conducted programmes for student’s public speaking skills and talent development on a Tamil TV channel for 10 years.
Tamilisai is also known for social service activities like women empowerment, preventive health programmes and medical camps for women.
Her husband Soundararajan Periyaswamy is a Professor at Sri Ramachandra Medical College, Chennai. She has a son and a daughter, both are medical professionals.
