'I Am Not In State Leadership Race,' Says Tamil Nadu BJP Chief K Annamalai

Coimbatore: Tamil Nadu BJP chief BJP K Annamalai on Friday triggered speculations about him stepping down as the chief of Tamil Nadu BJP after he claimed that a "leader will be selected unanimously" and he is "not in the race." "There is no contest in Tamil Nadu BJP, we will select a leader unanimously. But I am not in the race. I am not in the BJP state leadership race," Annamalai said while speaking to reporters here today.

His remarks today come days after a meeting of AIADMK leader Edappadi Palaniswamy wth Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi along with other party leaders. Assembly elections in the State are slated to be held in Tamil Nadu in 2026.

The meeting gave rise to speculations about the return of the BJP-AIADMK alliance ahead of the upcoming state assembly elections. However, leaders from neither side confirmed the real objective of the meeting.

Edapaddi K Palaniswami had addressed the media on the issue on March 26 and stated that the decision on the alliance will be made once the elections nears.

Palaniswami had said, "On alliance, I have already spoken several times. Is any party firm on alliance? Are parties in DMK alliance firm? We can't tell. This is politics, as per the political situation, changes will happen. How can we tell now itself? When did we form an alliance at the time of 2019 elections? It was February when we made the announcement. Similarly, we will have talks with like-minded parties and make a decision on alliance when elections come near. If you ask now, how can I tell you about it? We will let you know you know our alliance status." He further said that they gave a memorandum to the Home Minister on current issues in the state.

In the past two elections of the Lok Sabha and previous assembly polls, AIADMK has not been able to put up a strong show and has also faced factionalism. BJP is keen to improve its prospects in Tamil Nadu after a determined effort in the last Lok Sabha polls in which it could not win a seat in the southern state.

AIADMK had got into an alliance with the BJP after the demise of J Jayalalithaa's in 2016.

The DMK won both the 2019 Lok Sabha and the 2021 Assembly elections the DMK also won the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

The AIADMK and BJP were in an alliance for the 2021 state elections, during which the BJP won four seats. It however broke off ties with the BJP in the year 2023.