India, June 5 -- The Tamil Nadu BJP suffered another setback on Friday as state secretary Sumathi Venkatesh resigned from her post and ended her association with the party, becoming the third prominent leader to quit after the exits of former state chief K. Annamalai and state vice-president Karu Nagarajan.

Announcing her decision in a post on X, Venkatesh said she had stepped down after "careful thought" and described the move as a painful one.

'Heavy heart' resignation

In her resignation message addressed to the state BJP leadership, Venkatesh said it had been a privilege to serve the party and its cadre.

Despite her resignation, Venkatesh expressed admiration for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP's ideological principles.

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