Remember me
When the BJP launched its aggressive push into Tamil Nadu politics particularly in the last assembly elections, K Annamalai, a former top cop named ‘Singham’ after a movie title for his combative style, was the undisputed face of that charge. The 2026 elections tell a different story.
BJP leader K Annamalai campaigning in Mumbai in January 2026. (Satish Bate/HT File Photo)The BJP released its list of 27 candidates for the Tamil Nadu assembly elections on April 3, but Annamalai, a former state unit president, was not on it. While senior leaders like Tamilisai Soundararajan (from Mylapore segment), Vanathi Srinivasan (Coimbatore North), and Union Minister L Murugan (Avinashi) have been fielded, Annamalai is thus not contesting the April 23 elections.
Last year, Nainar Naginthiran replaced K Annamalai as the state BJP chief, being the only one to have filed nomination for the post which meant he was chosen by the top leadership.
Annamalai did congratulate the candidates announced for the 2026 elections. "They carry the support of every brother & sister of TN who is tired of corruption, complacency, and the DMK's betrayal. Under the visionary leadership of our Hon PM Thiru @narendramodi avl, India has moved forward with strength, scale, and purpose," he wrote on X.
He hit out at the incumbent DMK-Congress state government. "I as a Karyakarta [party worker] will stand shoulder to shoulder & campaign for all our winning BJP & other NDA candidates, with the aim of the NDA winning 210 seats in the upcoming assembly elections," he said.
Annamalai has, in fact, consistently maintained a stoic public stance. He said in Coimbatore last month: "I have requested the party leadership not to identify any seat for me as I have decided against contesting this time. My role is to strengthen the hands of our Karyakartas."
Yet reports in local media said that while the alliance leader AIADMK offered him the Palladam seat to contest for the BJP, Annamalai insisted on Singanallur or Koundampalayam, constituencies in the Coimbatore parliamentary segment that he had contested in 2024.
The AIADMK leads the NDA alliance in the state, and will contest 169 of the 234 seats, while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will contest 27; the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) 18; Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK) 11; Tamil Maanila Congress 5; and the Indhiya Jananayaga Katchi (IJK) and Puratchi Bharatham get one seat each.
Tamil Nadu votes in a single phase on April 23. Counting of votes is scheduled for May 4, along with that for three other states and the UT of Puducherry.
As for Annamalai, the former Indian Police Service (IPS) officer resigned from his job and joined the BJP in 2020. He became closely associated with PM Narendra Modi's outreach in the South, frequently appearing alongside him at major rallies and carrying the party's message to the grassroots.
The 2021 Tamil Nadu election results were a humbling reality check for the BJP. Contesting 20 seats as part of its alliance with the AIADMK, the party won just four, with a vote share of 2.6%. The 2021 results were better than 2016 on paper, but only just. In 2016, the BJP had contested 188 seats on its own, won none, with a vote share of 2.84%; in 2021, it was in alliance with the AIADMK, managed four wins, but actually saw its vote share dip to 2.6%.
State unit president L Murugan, senior leader H Raja, actor-politician Khushboo Sundar, and then-newcomer K Annamalai all lost their contests in 2021.
Annamalai quickly rose to lead the state unit, tasked with rebuilding the BJP base and expanding its support beyond parts of Kanyakumari and Coimbatore. His headline-grabbing style increased the party's visibility in a landscape long dominated by the Dravidian parties, DMK and AIADMK, analysts noted.
But the Lok Sabha elections in 2024, in which the BJP-led NDA and AIADMK-led alliance each failed to win a single parliamentary seat in the state, was a setback.
He stepped down as the state BJP head to bring back the AIADMK into the NDA fold in April 2025. The AIADMK had in 2024 quit the BJP-led bloc blaming Annamalai for calling Dravidian stalwarts corrupt. Annamalai had been against an alliance with the AIADMK but after the reunion he committed to working for the alliance.
This time, he was made the BJP's election in-charge for six assembly constituencies, but he quit in February. While Annamalai cited his father’s ill-health as reason, people aware of the matter told HT at the time that the leader was upset over being restricted to only six of the 234 seats.
Annamalai had said that he had to stay put in Coimbatore district where his family is based to help his father so he wouldn’t be able to travel on election duty. “I won’t be able to travel much…that’s why you will see me often in Coimbatore,” Annamalai said then.
There have been hints that senior BJP leaders may reposition him in a national role. Home minister Amit Shah has on many occasions stated that the BJP will utilise Annamalai's organisational skills. Annamalai was a crowd-puller for the BJP in the Mumbai municipal elections in January.
The main electoral contest in the State is expected between the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK)-led Secular Progressive Alliance (SPA), and the NDA led by AIADMK. However, actor-turned-politician Vijay will look to turn it into a three-way contest.