Tamil Nadu BJP President Nainar Nagendran said K Annamalai’s exclusion from the party’s candidate list was a ‘High Command’ decision. Despite the shock, Annamalai has stated he will campaign for all BJP and NDA candidates across the state.
Tamil Nadu BJP President Nainar Nagendran on Friday called K Annamalai’s absence from the party’s candidates’ list a decision “from the High Command.” Speaking with ANI, he lauded the list of 27 candidates and expressed confidence in their victory. “A list of 27 candidates has been released by the BJP High Command… All the 27 candidates will surely win this time,” he said. “This is a decision from the High Command…,” he added.
‘Singham’ Annamalai’s Name Missing From List
This comes after the BJP released its list of 27 candidates for the upcoming Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, after negotiations within the NDA alliance. The list has sent shockwaves through the state’s political circles, after BJP National Executive Member K Annamalai, the aggressive “Singham” of the Tamil Nadu BJP, was not given a candidacy.
While senior leaders like Tamilisai Soundararajan (Mylapore), Vanathi Srinivasan (Coimbatore North), and Union Minister L. Murugan (Avinashi) have been fielded, Annamalai’s name is nowhere to be found. It comes as a shocker as Annamalai K has made commendable achievements in taking Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s policies to the people or taking the party’s projects village by village in the state.
Annamalai Accepts Campaigning Role
Earlier in the day, BJP MP Tejasvi Surya described K Annamalai as the “most popular leader of the BJP” and said that Annamalai’s popularity will translate into victory for the party candidates across the state. “Annamalai is the most popular leader of the BJP, not just in Tamil Nadu, but he commands a large following all over the country. He has been given the responsibility of campaigning for all the candidates in Tamil Nadu. I am extremely confident that Annamalai’s popularity and his campaign all across Tamil Nadu will translate into victory for the BJP candidates all across the state,” he said.
Meanwhile, K Annamalai said that he will continue to campaign for the upcoming assembly polls despite being absent from the party’s candidate list in Tamil Nadu, calling it his “responsibility.” Speaking with the mediapersons in Keralam’s Kannur after a public meeting here, Annamalai described campaigning in Puducherry, Kerala and Tamil Nadu for the BJP as his “role” in the upcoming elections. “… In this election, my role is to campaign for candidates across Tamil Nadu. Right now, the party has given me the responsibility to campaign in Puducherry and Kerala till the 7th (April). From the 7th to the 23rd, I have to campaign for all BJP and NDA candidates across Tamil Nadu. That is the responsibility given by the party to me. I’ll be fulfilling that responsibility,” he said.
Tamil Nadu Assembly Polls
Tamil Nadu will go to the polls in a single phase on April 23, covering a total of 234 constituencies in the State. Counting of votes is scheduled for May 4.
The main electoral contest in the State is expected between the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK)-led Secular Progressive Alliance (SPA), and the NDA led by AIADMK. However, actor-turned-politician Vijay will look to turn it into a three-way contest. (ANI)
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