Tamil Nadu BJP President K Annamalai
Chennai: Tamil Nadu BJP President K. Annamalai made a bold statement at a public meeting in Chennai on Sunday, declaring that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will not align with the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) in the 2026 state Assembly elections. “Mark my words, BJP will never align with the DMK in the state for 2026 state Assembly elections,” Annamalai asserted, dispelling speculations of a potential alliance between the two parties.
Annamalai’s remarks come amidst growing speculation of a secret relationship between the BJP and DMK, particularly after Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s participation in a DMK event to release a special commemorative Rs 100 coin issued by the Centre and his subsequent praise of DMK leader M. Karunanidhi. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s letter praising the late DMK patriarch also fueled these rumors. AIADMK leader Edappadi K. Palaniswami (EPS) echoed these sentiments, alleging a clandestine relationship between BJP and DMK, which Annamalai vehemently denied.
The tension between the BJP and AIADMK, which ended their alliance in August, has escalated, with Annamalai launching a series of verbal attacks against the AIADMK leadership. In his speech, Annamalai criticized both the DMK and AIADMK, stating that if the BJP wants to rule Tamil Nadu, it is time to remove both Dravidian parties from the political landscape. “In the 2026 assembly elections, the AIADMK will not secure even the fourth position,” he claimed, emphasizing that there is no fundamental difference between the two Dravidian parties and that both should be rejected outright.
Annamalai, who is set to take a three-month break from politics starting this week to pursue a fellowship in the UK, used the occasion to address the ongoing war of words between him and EPS. The tension between the two leaders has intensified since the AIADMK parted ways with the BJP after the May Lok Sabha elections. Annamalai accused EPS of rising to power in the AIADMK through a “tender and bidding system” during the 2017 Koovathur resort episode, where EPS was elected Chief Minister after O. Panneerselvam rebelled against V.K. Sasikala.
Responding to Palaniswami’s recent remarks that Annamalai knows no politics and relies solely on his oratory skills, the BJP leader fired back, accusing EPS of being the “highest bidding agent” in the AIADMK and alleging corruption. “In Siluvampalayam (Palaniswami’s native place), one person was arrested for murder, and another involved in the crime hid in the Western Ghats. It was Palaniswami who helped him escape with the aid of a senior politician. So, please don’t lecture me on honesty,” Annamalai retorted. He further called EPS a “tharkuri” (illiterate) with no standing to criticize him.
Annamalai did not shy away from criticising the DMK government either, accusing it of mismanagement and nepotism. He claimed that Tamil Nadu, once the second-largest economy among Indian states, has slipped in rankings due to poor governance under the DMK. “Uttar Pradesh has secured the second position, and soon Tamil Nadu will be pushed to fourth by Karnataka. Even smaller states have been working with a vision for the past 25 years, but the TN government is focused only on one family,” he said.
Annamalai’s speech also included a call to action for the BJP’s grassroots workers. He urged them to work hard in the next 500 days to “retrieve Tamil Nadu” from the grip of the DMK and AIADMK. Highlighting the dissatisfaction among the public with both Dravidian parties, Annamalai claimed that 60-70 per cent of the electorate is yearning for honest and corruption-free politics. “We are emerging as the alternative power to these two parties,” he declared, announcing that the BJP would contest all seats in the forthcoming local body elections without any alliance.
The BJP leader also shared data from the May 2024 Lok Sabha polls, where the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) stood first in 7,174 of Tamil Nadu’s 68,045 polling booths and second in 18,086 booths. “In the coming 2026 assembly polls, we will transform from a political party into a ruling party. We will become capable of ruling the state,” he asserted, calling for the enrollment of 2 crore new members into the BJP to build a “wall of fort” around Prime Minister Modi.
Annamalai concluded by referencing comments made by actor Rajinikanth about potential unrest within the DMK ranks. “Rajinikanth has warned that a rebellion awaits within the ranks of the DMK when power gets transferred from CM M.K. Stalin to Udhayanidhi Stalin, with senior ministers like Duraimurugan and E.V. Velu biding their time,” he noted, hinting at internal tensions within the ruling party.
In response, the AIADMK launched a scathing attack on Annamalai, calling him “illiterate” and accusing him of “blabbering” to retain his position as the Tamil Nadu BJP chief after his three-year tenure expired. The party also alleged that Annamalai was “behaving like a mentally retarded person” to cling to his post and offered to get him admitted to a hospital for a “check-up.”
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