Explained: ‘Unhappy’ with the BJP, K Annamalai rumoured to float new political party soon
A former IPS officer, Annamalai gained significant attention in politics when he was appointed as the Tamil Nadu BJP president in July 2021 at the age of 37.
Former BJP state president K Annamalai on Thursday openly contradicted AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS), making it clear that the saffron party would be a constituent of the coalition government after the 2026 assembly election in the state.
“Amit Shah has made it abundantly clear that it will be an NDA government after the assembly poll and that the BJP will be a part of it. What Shah has said is Vedic dictum for me. As a party worker, I am only reiterating what he had said,” he told reporters in Chennai. Interestingly, this comes a day after EPS asserted that it would be only an AIADMK government with the party securing a majority on its own. What he had also clarified was that Shah had only referred to the NDA coalition’s victory and not about coalition government.
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Countering EPS’ claim, Annamalai said “If the AIADMK has any difference on this issue they should discuss it with Shah without any delay. For, it is not an issue that can be kept on the backburner till the time of election,” adding “If I can’t defend my leader’s position, why then should I be in politics? Shah had said multiple times that it will be a coalition government. It is only legitimate for the cadre of every party to expect that his party should also be there in the cabinet and share power. Now, parties including the PMK and the DMDK have joined the debate on sharing power in the government.”
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While EPS has asserted that his word is final in the alliance, voices from the BJP immediately debunk it, indicating the strain in the dynamics between the two parties. And in the face of the harsh criticism from the ruling DMK and its allies, it is left to EPS and the AIADMK to defend the alliance with the BJP. And, while incumbent BJP state president Nainar Nagendran is downplaying the issue of coalition government and making the ouster of the DMK from power as the prime focus, Annamalai raking it up is seen by analysts as indicative of the division within the saffron ranks.
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