Former BJP TN Chief K Annamalai To Campaign For NDA Candidates, Not Contest
K Annamalai clarifies he is not contesting Tamil Nadu polls and will campaign for NDA candidates instead.
Former Tamil Nadu BJP President K Annamalai has clarified that he will not be contesting the upcoming Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, following speculation over his absence from the party’s list of candidates. Annamalai, who returned from Kerala on Saturday to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi, emphasized that the decision was entirely his own.
Speaking to reporters at the airport, the former BJP chief said, “I have already informed the core committee in writing that I will not contest from any constituency. Even the list of probable candidates sent to the high command for approval did not contain my name. So, it is not that I was denied a ticket. The truth is that I decided not to contest.” He further noted that he had communicated this decision to senior party leaders, including Union Minister Piyush Goyal, national general secretary B.L. Santosh, and BJP president Nitin Nabin.
Annamalai, a former IPS officer who was the party’s face during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, stressed that his focus for the current polls is campaigning for BJP and NDA candidates. “Right now, the party has given me the responsibility to campaign in Puducherry and Kerala till April 7 and from then till April 23 in Tamil Nadu. This is the responsibility given to me by the party. I will be fulfilling that responsibility,” he said.
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He is also scheduled to attend a closed-door meeting of senior state BJP leaders today in his capacity as ex-president. Sources said the meeting, which includes around ten senior leaders, will discuss the upcoming elections with the Prime Minister. Annamalai described the interaction as “a general discussion during the election” and an opportunity to engage with PM Modi.
Earlier, while campaigning in north Kerala, Annamalai had expressed his commitment on social media to support NDA candidates, stating, “I, as a Karyakarta, will stand shoulder to shoulder and campaign for all our winning BJP and other NDA candidates, with the aim of the NDA winning 210 seats in the upcoming assembly elections.”
By clarifying his position, Annamalai has sought to dispel media speculation that he was denied a ticket, reiterating that his role in this election cycle is to strengthen the party’s campaign efforts across multiple states.
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