BJP's candidate from Coimbatore, former IPS officer Annamalai, trailing
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s Tamil Nadu chief, K Annamalai, is trailing behind Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) leader Ganapathy Rajkumar P in the Coimbatore Lok Sabha constituency. As per the Election Commission of India (ECI) data, Rajkumar was leading by a margin of over three lakh votes. Overall, the DMK is leading in 21 of the 29 Lok Sabha seats in Tamil Nadu, followed by the Congress in nine seats.
Tamil Nadu's political landscape witnesses significant shift
This election marked a significant shift in Tamil Nadu's political landscape, with a three-way contest for the first time in decades. For decades, the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), a former NDA ally, and the DMK have usually been the dominant political forces in Tamil Nadu. The DMK is a member of the Congress-led Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc, along with the Communist Party of India (CPI), the CPI (Marxist), and four regional parties.
BJP announced the candidacy of Annamalai in April
In April, the BJP announced the candidacy of former IPS officer Annamalai from Coimbatore. At the time, Annamalai appeared confident, telling the press, "Coimbatore voters have made their choice for the MP candidate. BJP will secure 60% of the votes cast." He pledged to boost Coimbatore to "the next level of industrial and infrastructural progress" after PM Narendra Modi takes office for a third term and he becomes an MP.
Who is Annamalai
Annamalai, 39, took over as head of the BJP in Tamil Nadu in 2021. A 2011-batch IPS officer of the Karnataka cadre, he quit his service in 2019 and joined the BJP a year later. During his tenure with the police force, Annamalai earned the moniker "Singham anna" due to his method of operation. He was considered a rising figure in the BJP. He is well-known for his oratory, with his lecture on artificial intelligence going viral.
