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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Three arrested for killing Buddhist woman monk in Himachal
Shimla (PTI): Three people have been arrested for allegedly murdering a Buddhist woman monk in Mandi district of Himachal Pradesh nearly a month ago, police said on Friday.
The accused -- Gagan Sharma (23), Vishal (23) and Gaurav Sharma (20), all residents of Mandi -- were arrested on Thursday night, police said.
According to police, the 78-year-old Buddhist woman monk, Orje Shoki, was found murdered in a cave near Sarkidhar village, following which a Special Investigation Team (SIT) was constituted to nab the accused.
Mandi Superintendent of Police (SP) Vinod Kumar said that during the investigation, more than 50 suspects were questioned and DNA samples of several suspects were also collected.
After a detailed investigation, the accused were arrested from different locations on Thursday night, he said.
Kumar said all the accused are drug addicts and they committed the crime with the intention of looting the victim, so that they could buy drugs.
Efforts are on to nab two more accused wanted in the case. They will be put behind bars soon, the SP said.
