Tamil Nadu BJP president K Annamalai opts out of 'state leadership race' ahead of party's internal polls

ANI April 5, 2025 231 views

Tamil Nadu BJP president K Annamalai has surprisingly withdrawn from the upcoming state leadership race, announcing he will not contest the internal party polls. The party is set to choose its next state unit chief through an unanimous selection process scheduled for April 9-10. Meanwhile, political speculation continues around a potential AIADMK-BJP alliance, with Palaniswami maintaining a cautious stance on future collaborations. The development comes at a critical time when both parties are seeking to strengthen their political positioning in Tamil Nadu.

"There is no contest in Tamil Nadu BJP; we will select a leader unanimously" - K Annamalai
Coimbatore, April 5: Ahead of the BJP's upcoming internal polls in Tamil Nadu, state party chief K Annamalai on Friday announced that 'he is not in the race' to become the next state unit chief.

Key Points

1

Annamalai ends tenure as Tamil Nadu BJP president

2

State leadership polls scheduled for April 9-10

3

AIADMK alliance talks remain uncertain

4

BJP seeks to improve southern state prospects

"There is no contest in Tamil Nadu BJP; we will select a leader unanimously. But I am not in the race. I am not in the BJP state leadership race," Annamalai said while speaking to reporters here today.

The tenure of K Annamalai as the Tamil Nadu state President ended a few months back as per the party laws and is currently continuing in the position until the next chief is elected.

The state party Presidency elections are likely to take place on the 9th and 10th of this month. They will be headed by the state party in charge and leaders from Delhi.

Earlier, AIADMK general secretary Edapaddi K Palaniswami met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi a few days back, which gave rise to speculations of an alliance between the two parties once again.

Palaniswami addressed the media on the issue on March 26 and stated that the decision on the alliance would be made once the elections were near.

Palaniswami had said, "On alliance, I have already spoken several times. Is any party firm on alliance? Are parties in the DMK alliance firm? We can't tell. This is politics; as per the political situation, changes will happen. How can we tell now itself? When did we form an alliance at the time of the 2019 elections? It was February when we made the announcement. Similarly, we will have talks with like-minded parties and make a decision on alliance when elections come near. If you ask now, how can I tell you about it? We will let you know you know our alliance status."

He further said that they gave a memorandum to the Home Minister on current issues in the state.

In the past two elections of the Lok Sabha and previous assembly polls, AIADMK has not been able to put up a strong show and has also faced factionalism. BJP is keen to improve its prospects in Tamil Nadu after a determined effort in the last Lok Sabha polls in which it could not win a seat in the southern state.AIADMK had got into an alliance with the BJP after the demise of J Jayalalithaa in 2016.

The DMK won the 2019 Lok Sabha and 2021 Assembly elections and the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

The AIADMK and the BJP were in an alliance for the 2021 state elections, during which the BJP won four seats. However, the AIADMK broke off ties with the BJP in the year 2023.

Reader Comments

R
Rajesh K
Interesting move by Annamalai. Shows he's putting party unity above personal ambition. BJP needs more leaders like this who can work behind the scenes. 👏
P
Priya M
I respect his decision, but I wish he had stayed in the race. He brought fresh energy to TN BJP. Who do you think will replace him?
S
Suresh V
The alliance talks between AIADMK and BJP seem more like political posturing than anything concrete. Both parties need to clearly define their vision for TN voters.
A
Anitha R
Annamalai did decent work, but BJP needs stronger grassroots presence in TN. Maybe new leadership can help with that. The party still feels like an outsider here.
K
Karthik N
All this leadership change won't matter unless BJP understands Tamil Nadu's unique political culture. They keep trying to replicate North Indian strategies here and it's not working.
M
Meena S
Whatever happens, I just hope the new leadership focuses on real issues - jobs, infrastructure, and development. Less drama, more work please! 🙏

We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.

Tags:
K Annamalai Tamil Nadu BJP AIADMK Edapaddi Palaniswami Indian Politics Leadership Change
You May Like!