The new appointment comes at a time when the BJP is eyeing a growth in West Tamil Nadu where the AIADMK is also strong
Former IPS officer and Tamil Nadu BJP vice president K. Annamalai has been appointed as the president of the state unit of the party. The appointment comes a day after party’s state president L. Murugan was moved to the Union cabinet as a Minister of State.
The appointment of the former Karnataka cadre officer comes at a time when the BJP is trying hard to find a large space in Tamil Nadu, especially in West Tamil Nadu where the AIADMK has a strong hold. Annamalai’s predecessor, Murugan, is from Namakkal in West Tamil Nadu. In fact, both Annamalai and Murugan fought the recently concluded Assembly elections from Aravakurichi and Dharapuram, respectively only to lose to the DMK. Murugan lost to DMK’s Kayalvizhi Selvaraj, while Annamalai lost to R. Elango. The two constituencies were closely fought and apparently Annamalai’s candidature in Aravakurichi was a talking point due to several controversies raised during the campaign.
Annamalai shot to fame after he took a political plunge by joining the BJP in August 2020. The political circles in Tamil Nadu were then abuzz with speculation that Annamalai would join Rajinikanth’s political party. He himself had said that he was Rajinikanth’s choice to practice clean politics in Tamil Nadu. But when Rajinikanth decided not to start a political party, he joined the BJP. Incidentally, Annamalai is the blue-eyed boy of the BJP’s top leaders in Delhi.
While there are many seniors in the state unit of the BJP, who had expectations to be elevated to the top position, lots of challenges await Annamalai. Murugan, his predecessor, had managed to reopen an account for the BJP in Tamil Nadu Assembly.
With the DMK in power and the infighting in the AIADMK reaching new heights, the coming days might be politically very crucial for Annamalai, ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. However, his appointment clearly shows how the BJP’s focus has turned towards the Kongu region in Tamil Nadu.
