A day after the AIADMK-BJP alliance was sealed in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, a video clip of former Tamil Nadu BJP chief K. Annamalai's brief speech went viral. A somewhat mellow Annamalai could be heard telling the audience in Tamil that he would no longer feel the restraint of office and might henceforth be spotted "bowling sixers."
What he perhaps meant was that he would no longer feel the need to look over his shoulder while offering comments. Tackling bouncers and other tricky issues of political alliances would now be the domain of his successor, Nainar Nagendran. "I am now free as any other regular politician. I will be open and liberal, batting straight like any regular politician," Annamalai was heard saying. It wasn't clear if the BJP leader, who had been the face of the national party in Tamil Nadu for four years, was relieved or miffed.
A couple of hours later, Annamalai made it clear that he would not be hanging around in Chennai. True to his word, he had already pushed off to the Himalayas. In an Instagram post, he spoke about "tapping into timeless silence" in Sri Sri Mahaavatar Baba's cave. In doing so, he seemed to emulate his idol and mentor, PM Narendra Modi, who had inspired him to take the plunge into politics from a career in the police service.
Annamalai may not have wished to exit as Tamil Nadu BJP president-especially just a year ahead of the 2026 assembly elections. But he didn't have much of a choice. Since March 2023, he had been vocal about his unwillingness to continue as the head of the state unit if the BJP were to enter into an alliance with AIADMK.
The BJP leadership also decided to replace him, believing his continuance in the post could be an irritant in the alliance. From the start of his tenure, Annamalai had maintained that the BJP could only grow in Tamil Nadu by shedding its dependence on Dravidian parties. While the national leadership agreed with him on this count, they had no choice but to form an alliance with AIADMK to achieve their short-term goal of overthrowing the DMK dispensation. By going solo in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the BJP had failed to win any seat. The AIADMK had also drawn a blank, giving the DMK a sweeping advantage across all 39 seats. The BJP was in no mood to hand another such advantage to the DMK on a platter.
BJP sources revealed that soon after the AIADMK-BJP alliance was forged, Shah held a frank discussion with party leaders at BJP headquarters, reprimanding them for factionalism, group fights, and their troll armies on X. It was felt that Annamalai had his own cadre of cyber warriors to fight his battles. Shah made it clear that the party must henceforth put up a united fight to ensure the DMK's defeat. Shah's tough talk had a sobering influence on Annamalai, and most party leaders fell in line.
In a farewell post on X, Annamalai credited the party's growth and resilience in Tamil Nadu to the collective leadership of PM Modi, BJP chief JP Nadda, and General Secretary (Organisation) BL Santhosh, highlighting their strategic guidance and commitment. Reflecting on his own political journey, Annamalai praised the NDA government at the Centre, acknowledging that the party had given him "more than" he deserved.
It may seem odd that Annamalai had to make way for new leadership-TN BJP legislature party leader Nainar Nagendran-who joined the party from AIADMK in 2017. Many wondered if an exception was made for Nagendran, as the initial condition was that the person should have spent at least a decade in the party before elevation. Questions were also raised about whether Annamalai was being penalized despite a good show in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. At least in terms of vote share, the BJP had managed to increase its share from a meagre 3 percent in 2019 to 11 percent in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Both AIADMK and BJP, which had contested separately, failed to secure any seats in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, with AIADMK even being pushed to third position in several constituencies. The BJP managed to secure 11.24% of the votes while contesting 23 seats, a significant improvement from the 3.62% it garnered in 2019 when it contested only five seats. Together with AIADMK, which achieved a vote share of 20.46%, and other allied parties, the BJP-AIADMK alliance is now seen as a formidable force to challenge the ruling DMK-led secular alliance, which is grappling with anti-incumbency and corruption allegations.
Annamalai's leadership of the state BJP has been a contentious issue for AIADMK, alongside the challenge of reuniting the party's breakaway factions led by former Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam, V.K. Sasikala, and T.T.V. Dhinakaran of the Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK). The BJP is keen on bringing these factions into the NDA alliance to strengthen its outreach. Incidentally, the newly elected BJP chief, Nainar Nagendran, a three-time MLA from Tirunelveli and a former transport minister in Jayalalithaa's government, also belongs to the Thevar community. Nagendran joined the BJP in 2017 during the post-Jayalalithaa era and has been a senior leader, serving as the party's floor leader in the assembly since 2021. His excellent rapport with AIADMK leaders was a key reason for his selection as Annamalai's successor.
For the BJP, aligning with AIADMK opens up numerous possibilities in Tamil Nadu. The party aims to forge alliances with all anti-DMK parties, big and small, in the state. Initially, there was speculation that AIADMK might ally with actor-turned-politician Vijay's Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK). However, Vijay reportedly demanded to be the chief ministerial candidate for the first part of the term if the alliance won, leading EPS to turn to the BJP and meet with Amit Shah after talks with Vijay fell through. The BJP is also eyeing smaller players like Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK), led by filmmaker-turned-politician S. Seeman, who advocates Tamil nationalism and has expressed admiration for PM Modi.
It is worth recalling that the BJP's entry into Tamil Nadu politics was first facilitated by AIADMK leader Jayalalithaa when the two parties allied for the 1998 Lok Sabha elections. The BJP won four of the 39 Lok Sabha seats in its debut, an election that was overshadowed by the Coimbatore blasts near the venue of BJP leader L.K. Advani's rally.
This is not the first time the BJP has formed a pre-poll alliance with AIADMK for assembly elections. The two parties had a similar arrangement in the 2021 assembly elections, held five years after Jayalalithaa's death in 2016.
(Lakshmi Iyer has been covering politics for four decades in Delhi & Mumbai. She is on X @liyer).
Disclaimer: These are the personal opinions of the author
