Annamalai steps-down as election in-charge, is he contesting TN assembly polls ? Details here
Chennai: Former Tamil Nadu BJP Chief K. Annamalai has announced his decision to step-down as the party’s election-incharge, days after his appointment. The announcement came as a surprise to his own party men, reported The Week.
This comes at a time when the BJP in alliance with the AIADMK is aiming to field its candidates from maximum number of seats.
Annamalai said he resigned from the responsibility due to personal reasons. Speaking to reporters in Coimbatore, he said, “I have informed the High Command that I will not be able to carry out these duties. My father is unwell and I need to be with him. That is my first priority. I cannot travel much and will be spending more time in Coimbatore.”
However, according to party sources quoted by The Week, there may be more to the decision. Annamalai is said to be upset with the current BJP leadership for limiting his role to just six Assembly constituencies and for expecting him to work under the AIADMK leadership. Sources also say he has felt sidelined since Nainar Nagendran took over as the Tamil Nadu BJP president.
As per reports, Annamalai was kept out of key alliance discussions with the AIADMK and was later brought in only to help bring TTV Dhinakaran’s AMMK into the NDA. He had been tasked by the central leadership in December to speak to Dhinakaran. After the alliance talks were finalised, sources claim Annamalai felt ignored by both the state and central leadership.
Sources cited by The Week also point out that despite touring the entire state during the En Mann, En Makkal yatra ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and helping improve the BJP’s vote share, Annamalai’s presence in state party events has reduced sharply over the past six months. Also he was upset with the state leadership having a soft approach towards the AIADMK.
Reports suggest that he largely stayed away from state-level programmes but attended events when Prime Minister Narendra Modi or Home Minister Amit Shah visited Tamil Nadu.
Annamalai was appointed election in-charge for six Assembly constituencies, namely Karaikudi, Srivaikuntam, Virugambakkam, Singanallur, Madurai (South) and Padmanabapuram. These seats are spread across different regions of the state, with no geographical link. Party insiders say he was upset about being limited to these segments, especially after taking on both the DMK and the AIADMK during the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
Quoting a senior BJP leader, The Week reports, “He played a key role in strengthening the BJP in Tamil Nadu. Restricting him to six seats is unfair.”
Annamalai was expected to campaign across the state for the NDA. However, sources say that if his relationship with AIADMK leader Edappadi K. Palaniswami does not improve and if the BJP leadership continues to sideline him, he may limit his campaigning to AMMK candidates.
On whether he will contest the upcoming Assembly elections, Annamalai remained non-committal. Responding to a question from the media, he said, “I will discuss the matter with the party leadership before taking any decision.”
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Hospital wall collapse: CM orders suspension of executive engineer; kin of victims get solatium
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday ordered the immediate suspension of an executive engineer for the Bowring and Lady Curzon Hospital wall collapse that claimed the lives of seven people, during a high-level review meeting at Vidhana Soudha.
A compensation of Rs 5 lakh, as announced by the CM Siddaramaiah, was distributed to the families of seven victims who lost their lives in the tragedy on Wednesday evening, which occurred due to heavy downpour with gusty winds and hailstorm.
The meeting of municipal commissioners of the five corporations, chaired by the chief minister and attended by Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, focused on fixing accountability and examining lapses that led to the tragedy.
"Why was soil dumped in a way that damaged the wall? Why did you not monitor this?" Siddaramaiah asked, pulling up hospital authorities during the meeting.
A statement from the chief minister's office said that the CM ordered the immediate suspension of the executive engineer of the Karnataka Health Systems Development Project (KHSDP).
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He also questioned the hospital authorities, asking why they failed to monitor the dumping of soil that weakened the structure.
The chief minister directed that a notice be issued to the head of the Hospital.
During the meeting, Siddaramaiah said the rains had caused extensive damage in the city, with over 250 trees uprooted.
The Chief Minister instructed officials to take necessary measures before the onset of the monsoon to avoid untoward incidents.
Commissioners of all five municipal zones in Bengaluru have been asked to take precautionary steps, including trimming dry and dangerous tree branches, the CMO said.
Siddaramaiah also directed them to get the silt cleared from stormwater drains to prevent flooding, and that immediate action be taken to remove debris and fallen branches from roads.
Further, he instructed that barricades be placed at underpasses where water stagnates and restricts public movement.
The Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) Chief Commissioner M Maheshwar Rao said in a statement that Shivajinagar MLA Rizwan Arshad distributed compensation cheques of Rs 5 lakh each to the families of the deceased on Thursday.
Seven people, including a six-year-old girl, were killed and seven others injured when the compound wall collapsed amid heavy rain, strong winds and a hailstorm on Wednesday evening.
Police said the victims, comprising three from Bengaluru, two from Kerala on a study tour and one each from Uttar Pradesh and Assam, had taken shelter near the wall when it suddenly gave way, trapping them under the debris.
The chief minister questioned officials over the dumping of soil near the wall despite knowing it could weaken the structure, and directed that a notice be issued to the head of Bowring Hospital.
Siddaramaiah, who had visited the spot soon after the incident along with senior officials, reviewed the situation and ordered a detailed probe into the collapse.
