Tamil Nadu elections: Why Annamalai missed BJP candidate list – alliance over leader? | India News
New Delhi: Former Tamil Nadu BJP chief K Annamalai was not included in the party’s list of 27 candidates released on Friday for the upcoming assembly elections.When asked about the move, state president Naynar Nagendra said, “The party high command has taken the decision.”
The development comes days after differences between Annamalai and the party surfaced, following his absence at the Coimbatore airport during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit.However, hours after the names of the candidates were announced, Annamalai said that he will stand shoulder to shoulder with all the candidates as the NDA aims to win 210 seats in the upcoming assembly elections.“Heartiest congratulations to all BJP winning candidates declared for Tamil Nadu Assembly Elections 2026. They carry the support of every brother and sister in TN who are tired of corruption, complacency and betrayal of the DMK,” Annamalai said.“I will stand shoulder to shoulder as an officer and campaign for all our winning BJP and other NDA candidates, aiming for the NDA to win 210 seats in the upcoming assembly elections,” he added.Why was Anamlai pushed to the margins?Nearly a year before the assembly elections, the BJP removed Annamalai as state president, a move widely seen as aimed at rekindling ties with Edappadi K Palaniswami-led AIADMK.Reportedly, Palaniswami had given a precondition before the alliance talks — the ouster of Annamalai, given his ruthless attacks on the AIADMK.
Following this development, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that “Annamalai’s organizational skills will be utilized within the party’s national framework.”The alliance has been finalized for the upcoming assembly elections. AIADMK will contest in 178 seats, BJP in 27 seats and Dr. Ambumani Ramdas will contest in 18 seats.Amma Makkal Munnetra led by TTV Dhinakaran will contest on 11 seats in the Kachi elections. This distribution reflects the seat-sharing agreement between NDA allies in Tamil Nadu.Meanwhile, another blow to his followers came on February 3, 2026, when a distraught Annamalai resigned from the polls for six assembly constituencies – Karaikudi, Singanallur, Srivaikuntam, Virugambakkam, Madurai (South) and Padmanavapuram – due to his father’s illness.The leader was upset at being restricted to only six of the 234 assembly seats.Additionally, Annamalai’s name was also absent when the Tamil Nadu BJP formed an assembly election management committee under its state chief Nainar Nagantharan on 11 February.Nagenthran was named as the head of the committee, with former Union minister and party national executive member Pon Radhakrishnan as the coordinator.How did the nation play its role?Caste dynamics also seem to have played a role in alienating Annamalai. Both he and EPS belong to the Gounder community.Annamalai’s emergence as a potential chief minister was viewed by the AIADMK as a direct challenge to the EPS’s dominance within the alliance.Gondars fall under the backward class category and account for about 5% to 7% of the population of Tamil Nadu. They are mainly concentrated in the Western Tamil Nadu or Kongu Nadu region, which includes districts like Coimbatore, Tirupur, Erode, Namakkal, Karur and Salem.After J Jayalalithaa’s death, Edappadi K Palaniswami, a Gounder, took control of the AIADMK, ousted the Sasikala family and O Panneerselvam, and assigned key cabinet portfolios to community leaders.Annamalai is serving as the BJP chiefAnnamalai emerged as the BJP’s crowd-puller in Tamil Nadu, consistently putting both himself and the party in the spotlight during his tenure as state president while working to expand his base across the state.In December 2024, he publicly flogged himself six times to protest against the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam following the rape of a student at Anna University. In February 2025, he courted controversy by threatening to bring down the DMK headquarters, Anna Arivalayam, “brick by brick”. Annamalai also built support among a section of the electorate through fierce attacks on Dravidian parties and their icons. He criticized EV Ramasamy and CN Annadurai and at one point described J Jayalalithaa as a “Hindutva” leader. He further targeted the ruling DMK over corruption allegations, which he termed the “DMK file”. The first part, released in April 2023, included allegations against Chief Minister MK Stalin, his son and minister Udayanidhi Stalin and other party leaders. The second part, released in July 2023, contained allegations of corruption against nine DMK ministers.Ahead of the 2024 general elections, Annamalai launched the ‘En Mon, En Makkal’ (My Soil, My People) march, covering all 234 assembly constituencies to encourage party workers. Although the BJP did not win any of the 23 seats it contested, the party claimed its vote share rose to 11 percent from 3.7 percent in 2019.
