CHENNAI: The BJP high command has begun a postmortem of the party’s disappointing performance in the Assembly elections, with serious questions being raised over campaign management, utilisation of election funds and the functioning of the state unit leadership, amid calls for Annamalai's return.
BJP national general secretary (organisation) BL Santhosh on Wednesday held a closed-door strategy and review meeting with key state office-bearers at Kamalalayam. State president Nainar Nagenthran, Raama Sreenivasan, M Muruganandam, AP Muruganandam and Arvind Menon were among those present.
Highly placed sources in the party said the meeting turned into an intense stocktaking exercise, with the central leadership seeking constituency-wise assessments and detailed explanations for the party’s underwhelming electoral showing despite what insiders described as unprecedented financial and organisational support from New Delhi.
The grapevine in the national capital indicated that the BJP high command was particularly upset over complaints that several candidates neither mounted aggressive campaigns nor fully utilised the funds earmarked for election expenditure.
“Reports reaching the leadership suggested that substantial amounts allocated for campaigning were either underutilised or diverted. District-level functionaries and state office-bearers familiar with the ground situation have conveyed their concerns directly to the high command,” a BJP source told DT Next.
Party insiders claimed that candidates were allotted funds ranging from Rs 10 crore to Rs 20 crore, depending on the constituency's political sensitivity and profile. “In several constituencies, only a small portion of the allocated resources was visibly spent on campaign activities. The leadership wanted clarity on where the rest went,” the source said.
During the deliberations, state leaders reportedly attributed the electoral setback to weak coordination from alliance partners and the sweeping Vijay wave that dominated the polls. However, sources said Santhosh remained unconvinced and pressed for granular details on campaign execution, booth management and expenditure patterns.
The absence of Union Minister L Murugan and senior leaders Pon Radhakrishnan and Tamilisai Soundararajan from the crucial meeting also triggered political chatter within party circles.
Amid the churn, speculation about an imminent leadership reshuffle in the state unit has intensified. Sources said the high command is actively weighing organisational changes, with supporters of former president K Annamalai quietly renewing their pitch for his return.
The meeting also featured discussions on the deepening fissures within the AIADMK and the perceived role of the ruling TVK in the evolving Opposition dynamics in the State, sources added.