What next for K. Annamalai: Why the ex-IPS officer stepped down as Tamil Nadu BJP chief

 “As the president of the Tamil Nadu BJP unit, Shri K. Annamalai has made commendable accomplishments. Whether it is carrying the policies of Prime Minister Narendra Modiji to the people or the party from village to village Annamalaiji’s contribution has been unprecedented. The BJP will leverage Annamalaiji’s organisational skills in the party’s national framework.”

 

Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s statement lauding Annamalai for his “exceptional contributions” came as Nainar Nagendran, BJP’s legislative party leader, submitted his nomination papers for the party’s state president election. It is no secret that Annamalai was asked to step down by the party high command to ensure a smooth sailing of the AIADMK-BJP alliance in the state, as the former IPS officer always had an altercation with the AIADMK leadership in the state.

 

From the start of his tenure, Annamalai has been clear that the BJP should not align with the Dravidian parties to expand its presence in the state. In the past three years during his tenure as the state unit chief, he had sharpened his attack on the DMK while ignoring the AIADMK to a large extent. At one point of time, during the 2024 Lok Sabha election campaign, he had even blazed his guns against AIADMK leader Edappadi K. Palaniswami. “AIADMK will lose its sheen under Palaniswami,” Annamalai said at a public meeting while campaigning for TTV Dhinakaran at Theni.

 

While the Delhi high command of the BJP toed the line of Annamalai’s thoughts in the party’s growth in Tamil Nadu, they seem to have had no other choice but to align with the AIADMK to fight the next assembly election in 2026. The BJP, which has four MLAs in the assembly which it won being in AIADMK alliance, is looking to increase its numbers to double digits. The deep-rooted anti-BJP mindset in Tamil Nadu has always been a thorn in the flesh for the saffron brigade which has been able to win a huge majority in north India. Tamil Nadu’s anti-Modi sentiments have damaged the party’s image at the national level and in fact helped the south rally against the BJP.

 

Though it has increased its vote share from a mere two per cent to an impressive 11.3 per cent in the 2024 election, BJP has had an uneven growth in Tamil Nadu. With a short-term goal to overthrow the DMK and climb to power, the BJP high command had made Annamalai compromise his position.

 

Annamalai did not bring phenomenal growth for the party. Though the party won four lakh plus votes in Coimbatore in the 2024 elections, Annamalai could not help the party secure its deposit in the neighbouring Tiruppur constituency. In Tirunelveli district, where Nainar Nagendran contested, the party won over three lakh votes, but secured only 12 per cent votes in the neighbouring Thoothukudi parliamentary constituency.

 

The BJP might have worked out a deal by relinquishing Annamalai, but it remains to be seen if accommodating Annamalai at the national level will benefit the party in the state.

India