Who is Annamalai, IPS officer-turned-politician at center of BJP-AIADMK fallout
What's the story
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s Tamil Nadu chief K Annamalai is at the center of the party's recent fallout with the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK). The rift stemmed from Annamalai's controversial claim that Dravidian stalwart CN Annadurai, Tamil Nadu's first chief minister, on whose principles the AIADMK was formed, had to apologize for insulting Hinduism. While the BJP has no significant ground in Tamil Nadu on its own, the BJP choosing Annamalai over the AIADMK has divided opinions.
Context
Why does this story matter?
Annamalai was reportedly unhappy over the BJP's alliance with the AIADMK and made several remarks about the latter's icons, including J Jayalalithaa. Previously, he stated in an interview that "many administrations in Tamil Nadu were corrupt, with former CMs convicted in courts of law." The AIADMK demanded that the BJP either make Annamalai apologize or replace him as the state BJP chief. The BJP's top brass favors Annamalai since he has been instrumental in reviving the party in Tamil Nadu.
Details
Ex-IPS officer's rise to state BJP chief
Annamalai hails from the Karur district in Tamil Nadu's Kongu region, where the BJP has pockets of support. He belongs to the Gounder community, which is listed among the Other Backward Classes (OBC) and is influential in the state. He is an engineering graduate from Coimbatore and has an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow. A former 2011 batch IPS officer of the Karnataka cadre, he quit the police service in 2019 and joined the BJP in 2020.
What Next?
Projected as outsider committed to clean politics
In the 2021 state assembly elections, the BJP fielded him in Aravakurichi, where the AIADMK backed him. However, he lost to Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam's (DMK) R Elango by 24,816 votes. Less than two months later, he became the youngest Tamil Nadu BJP chief by replacing L Murugan, whom the party inducted into the Union cabinet as a minister of state. The BJP has sought to project him as an outsider committed to clean and corruption-free politics in Tamil Nadu.
BJP
BJP's senior members concerned over Annamalai's meteoric rise
Annamalai's aggressive approach has garnered the party constant media attention in the state, but it has also caused concerns among senior BJP leaders since he was elevated as the state unit's chief by sidelining them. His inexperience and alleged ignorance of state-specific issues add to the senior members' woes. However, sources close to Annamalai believe that the BJP going to the polls with or without the AIADMK may not make a significant difference.
AIADMK
AIADMK considered BJP liability
In the 2021 assembly election, the BJP won four out of 234 seats, with its vote share at a dismal 2.6%. The BJP has failed to make any considerable ground in Tamil Nadu since its talking points don't match the state-specific issues. While the BJP hoped to make inroads with the AIADMK's help, the latter was reportedly considering it a liability since it lost the 2019 Lok Sabha and the 2021 assembly elections, where it allied with the lotus party.
Insights
Annamalai eyeing 2026 CM candidacy
Annamalai is reportedly eyeing the chief minister candidacy in the 2026 state assembly, with his youth, energy, and non-Brahmin identity expected to work in his favor. The BJP hopes that Annamalai's leadership might win over certain sections of society uncomfortable with the ruling DMK's "anti-Hindu" stance following the recent controversy in which party leader Udhayanidhi Stalin called for the eradication of Sanatan Dharma. The outcome remains uncertain, but this is a defining moment for both the BJP and Annamalai.