K Annamalai To Step Down As Tamil Nadu BJP Chief? He Says

Chennai:

Adding fuel to speculation that he may be replaced as the president of the Tamil Nadu BJP, K Annamalai has said that he is not in the running to be the next state chief of the party. 

BJP sources said AIADMK chief Edapaddi K Palaniswami has made Mr Annamalai’s removal a precondition for allying with the party again ahead of the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections next year. Mr Annamalai’s criticism of AIADMK leaders was also seen as a key reason for the party snapping ties with the BJP in 2023. 

Replying to a question in Coimbatore on Friday, Mr Annamalai said, “I am not in the race to become the next president of the Tamil Nadu BJP”. 

While the BJP hasn’t made significant electoral gains in Tamil Nadu since Mr Annamalai was appointed the chief of the state unit in 2021, the 40-year-old is credited with giving it much more visibility, which is very important in a state that has proven to be nearly impenetrable for the party