Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], January 15 (ANI): BJP leader Tamilisai Soundararajan celebrated the Pongal festival in Chennai and highlighted the political and cultural significance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's upcoming visit to Tamil Nadu. She said the Prime Minister's visit on January 23 would mark a crucial moment for the NDA as it prepares its roadmap for the 2026 Assembly elections in the state.

Speaking to the media, Soundararajan said it is very significant that the Prime Minister would be visiting Tamil Nadu during th auspicious Thai Month. 'It is an NDA meeting, and from that NDA will take off its successful process and procedure for our 2026 election. We are very happy that our Prime Minister, nearing Pongal and our auspicious Thai month, is coming to Tamil Nadu,' she said.

She also welcomed the Prime Minister's participation in Pongal celebrations, noting that he spoke about Tamil culture and its pride. 'Our Home Minister also participated in the Pongal. This is the first time all the central leaders have participated in the Pongal. During the UPA government, how many central ministers visited Tamil Nadu to celebrate Pongal?' she remarked.

Meanwhile, Pongal was celebrated with traditional fervour across Tamil Nadu. In Thoothukudi, urban areas came alive early in the morning as residents decorated their homes with colourful kolams. As part of the ritual, Pongal, the traditional sweet rice dish, was prepared in new clay pots.

In Madurai, the famed Jallikattu event was held at Avaniyapuram, drawing large crowds on the occasion of the harvest festival. The traditional bull-taming sport remained a key cultural highlight of Pongal, with at least 960 bull-tamers allowed to participate in the event.

At Tamil Nadu Agricultural University in Coimbatore, Pongal was celebrated with enthusiasm. 'It is a traditional festival that has been celebrated for the past 60 years at the Tamil Nadu Agriculture University. This year, we are also celebrating in the same form of splendour to honour the natural resources, especially the cow, as well as the support for all our research activities and the farm workers... It is a tradition to reciprocate our sincere thanks to the cow that helped us with cultivation,' said Vice-Chancellor in-charge Dr K Subrahmaniyan. (ANI)