K Annamalai Bjp: ‘I decided not to contest’: Annamalai breaks silence on ‘denied ticket’ speculation | Chennai News

NEW DELHI/CHENNAI: Former Tamil Nadu BJP chief K Annamalai said he had voluntarily opted out of contesting the upcoming assembly elections.“I had already informed the core committee in writing that I would not contest from any constituency. So, it is not that I was denied a ticket; the truth is that I decided not to contest,” he said.“Since this has become a topic of discussion in the media, I am clarifying it here. I am grateful to the BJP leadership for respecting my decision and giving me the opportunity to campaign in support of the NDA alliance candidates,” Annamalai added further.The BJP leader, who was campaigning in Kannur in Kerala, has been asked to return to Chennai to meet Modi on Saturday morning.Union minister Piyush Goyal, who released the party’s candidate list, said Annamalai had chosen to focus on campaigning across the state rather than contesting from a single constituency.“Annamalai is a dedicated worker of the party and has chosen to work across the state rather than contest from one constituency,” Goyal said, adding that candidates were selected based on inputs from the state unit and individual preferences.Moments after the list was announced, Annamalai said on X that he would campaign for NDA candidates.“I am a karyakarta and will stand shoulder to shoulder & campaign for all our winning BJP & other NDA candidates, with the aim of the NDA winning 210 seats,” he said.The BJP has fielded Nainar Nagenthran from Sattur, Tamilisai Soundararajan from Mylapore, Vanathi Srinivasan from Coimbatore (North), and Union minister L. Murugan from Avinashi.Within the party, Annamalai’s absence from the ballot has sparked debate. A senior leader said he drew large crowds at rallies addressed by Modi in Madurai and Madurantakam and enjoyed support among younger voters.“His absence from the ballot could affect mobilisation and give opposition parties space to question internal decisions linked to the alliance,” the leader said.Others, however, emphasised that the decision was part of a broader electoral strategy.“The party is not centred on one individual. The leadership decides alliances and candidate selection based on longterm strategy,” another senior leader said.Annamalai’s reduced role within the party has been noted over the past year. He was replaced as state president, and his influence waned after the BJP and the AIADMK renewed ties under a deal negotiated by Union home minister Amit Shah and AIADMK leader Edappadi K. Palaniswami in April 2025. He was also not part of seat-sharing talks or key decision-making teams.In February 2026, he was made poll in-charge for six seats and later stepped back from formal roles citing personal reasons, while continuing background campaign work in parts of Coimbatore that were eventually not allotted to the BJP.Leaders seen as close to him, including Amarprasad Reddy and SG Suryah, were also not fielded.Meanwhile, BJP MP Tejasvi Surya described Annamalai as the party’s “most popular leader” and expressed confidence in his campaign role.“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. Even today, he is in Keralam where he enjoys a great following. He is also campaigning in Puducherry, where people are crazy about him. 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.