K Annamalai, former Tamil Nadu BJP president, is unlikely to contest the 2026 state assembly elections and may be assigned a national role, party sources revealed. The 40-year-old, who led the state unit from 2021 until April 2025, has been a vocal critic of the ruling DMK government. His aggressive stance initially aligned with ally AIADMK, but tensions flared when he targeted AIADMK leaders, including late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, prompting the AIADMK to sever ties in September 2023.

Annamalai, who lost in the 2021 Aravakurichi assembly and 2024 Lok Sabha elections, saw the AIADMK-BJP alliance collapse before the 2024 polls, with AIADMK’s Edappadi K Palaniswami labeling him a “publicity hound.” Annamalai hit back, likening Palaniswami to “sour grapes.” Both parties suffered defeats to the DMK-Congress combine. In April 2025, Union Home Minister Amit Shah reconciled the allies, declaring Palaniswami would lead the NDA’s 2026 campaign.

Speaking to NDTV, Annamalai expressed confidence in an NDA victory, led by AIADMK, predicting a historic low for DMK. “The BJP is in battle mode under Nainar Nagendran,” he said, accusing DMK of focusing on BJP-AIADMK disputes rather than governance. Despite past electoral losses—AIADMK won only 75 seats in 2021, down from 136 in 2016—the BJP sees Annamalai’s efforts in Tamil Nadu as meriting a national role, with an announcement pending.

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