The President of India on Thursday appointed Tamil Nadu BJP chief Tamilisai Soundararajan as the Governor of Telangana, replacing ESL Narasimhan. A doctor by profession, the 58-year-old Soundrarajan has served the Tamil Nadu state BJP unit in various capacities from 1999.

Speaking to Express, she thanked PM Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah for her elevation. "BJP president Amit Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have once again proved that the party will recognise hard work.  I have never contributed anything to the party except for my hard work.  I strove hard for the growth of BJP in Tamil Nadu. Recently, we have crossed 43 lakh members for BJP in Tamil Nadu," she said.

Though she belongs to traditionally Congress-leaning family, Soundararajan was attracted by the BJP ideology during her earlier life. "I joined BJP as a basic member many years ago and I have contributed nothing but hard work for my party. I have never tried to get any posts. Many party posts including State president post were given to me by my leaders. In BJP, hard work is always recognised. My party leaders have shown me as an example for this," she said.

However, she is yet to decide on when to take charge of the Governor's position. "A while ago, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekar Rao greeted me. The chief minister is expected to consult the present Governor and decide about the date of my assumption," she added.

When asked about her father Kumari Ananthan, a veteran Congress leader, Soundararajan said, "I am yet to meet him, but my father's good wishes are always with me."