'In BJP, leaders don't compete': Annamalai backs out of Tamil Nadu party chief race days after EPS-Amit Shah Delhi meet

Tamil Nadu BJP chief K Annamalai on Friday said that the party's next BJP chief will be elected unanimously and that he is not in the race for the same. "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,” he said.

“In BJP, leaders don't compete for a party leader post. We all jointly elect a party president. I'm not in that race for that post,” K Annamalai said on Friday, firmly ruling himself out of running for party’s Tamil Nadu state presidency. Speaking to the media in Coimbatore, Annamalai said: “I want the party to have a bright future. Many have given their lives for the growth of this party. I always wish the best for this party.”

This follows AIADMK leader Edappadi K Palaniswami and Union Home Minister Amit Shah's meeting in Delhi. According to reports, AIADM has shown interest to be a part of the NDA ahead of the Tamil Nadu assembly polls in 2026. However, it comes with a key condition that the BJP must replace its state president K. Annamalai.

Why could AIADMK ask BJP to replace its state party president?

The rift between both BJP and AIADM goes back to 2023 when Annamalai's controversial comments about Dravidian icon C.N. Annadurai and former AIADMK leader J. Jayalalithaa led a bitter split. Since then, both parties have traded barbs, with the AIADMK expressing the displeasure with Annamalai's leadership.

Who is K. Annamalai?

Annamalai, 40, is a BJP leader and former Indian Police Service (IPS) officer. He was called “Singham (Lion) of Karnataka Police” due to his work. When it comes to education, Annamali studied Bachelor of Engineering at PSG College of Technology, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu.

He found himself embroiled in controversy when DMK criticised him for taking the benefits of the political powers of the BJP government when he was an IPS officer. He responded stating he was appointed as an IPS officer when the country was headed by the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government. In 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Annamalai was fielded from the Coimbatore constituency which went polling in Phase 1 on April 19. However, he lost to DMK candidate Ganapathy Rajkumar.

Meanwhile, BJP state vice president Narayanan Thirupathy told HT that the BJP will elect chiefs for 13 state units, comprising Tamil Nadu. The BJP has chosen district presidents to all its 67 party units in Tamil Nadu. “The state elections for the president will happen in a week or two,” he added.