TN BJP top brass to stay away from LS polls
The grapevine from Kamalalayam is that two top BJP leaders - union minister of state L Murugan and state president K Annamalai are likely to refrain from contesting the upcoming LS polls
Annamalai; L Murugan
CHENNAI: In the Dravidian state of Tamil Nadu, the BJP is hopeful of increasing its vote share and is ambitious; nonetheless, some top leaders have already withdrawn from the Lok Sabha election battle.
The grapevine from Kamalalayam is that two top BJP leaders - union minister of state L Murugan and state president K Annamalai are likely to refrain from contesting the upcoming LS polls. The big question is what are the BJP’s key plans for the May 2024 elections.
With L Murugan, who is also former Tamil Nadu BJP president, who was earlier eyeing the Nilgiris Lok Sabha constituency was nominated to Rajya Sabha on Wednesday. The sudden development comes in the wake of reports stating that Murugan will enter the poll fray from Nilgiris taking on the DMK heavy weight A Raja. This is the second consecutive RS term for Murugan to represent the state of Madhya Pradesh.
Similarly, BJP State president K Annamalai on Wednesday clarified that he has no intention of contesting the Lok Sabha polls from any constituency in Tamil Nadu.Speaking on the developments, a senior BJP leader told DT Next that the main reason for the sudden change on the stand of key leaders was one of the major Dravidian forces, AIADMK’s exit from the BJP-led NDA alliance.
“The AIADMK-BJP alliance that lasted from 2019 to 2022 September in Tamil Nadu has severed, and our party is still struggling to build a strong alliance for the coming Lok Sabha polls. The exit of the AIADMK, which has more than 30 per cent vote bank, was the key reason why major leaders including L Murugan are backing out of the contest, “ the senior leader told DT Next, wishing not to be named.
“With the idea that anti-DMK votes will help the saffron party to get Lok Sabha seats, many prominent leaders including Murugan have been actively working on their favourable constituencies for more than a year. But after the exit of AIADMK, the situation looks a herculean task for the national party. In a multi corner contest, getting a deposit is a tough job and the re-election of Murugan through the Rajya Sabha route is a safe bet for him and the party. Meanwhile, BJP state president K Annamalai has been reiterating since 2021 that he will not contest the Lok Sabha polls.
“Annamalai is keen on contesting the 2026 Assembly elections. He is working to form a mega alliance under his leadership with the intention of garnering substantial votes and to make BJP an alternate party for the DMK and AIADMK,” another senior functionary of TN BJP and a close aide of Annamalai told DT Next.
