TN BJP chief Annamalai stepping down may change the math for next two elections

Tamil Nadu was set for a five-cornered fight in 2026. However, with K Annamalai stepping down, and the BJP-AIADMK alliance looking certain, the odds may be depleting for both the incumbent DMK and the debutante, Vijay's TVK. Together, the BJP-AIADMK may be a force to reckon with in 2029 too.

Tamil Nadu Bharatiya Janata Party president K Annamalai on Friday (April 4) stepped down from the post. The party will announce the next chief by April 9, reports said. Annamalai wanted to be the firebrand who disrupts Tamil Nadu politics by making the BJP a major player in the state for the first time.

However, the party did not get the desired result in his tenure, i.e., more seats in the state assembly and more members of Parliament from the state.

Coming days after the meeting between Edappadi Palaniswamy and Home Minister Amit Shah, Annamalai's resignation may be the confirmation of the alliance between the All India Anna Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) and the BJP a year before the impending polls in Tamil Nadu. The breaking of the alliance ahead of the 2024 general election resulted in the rival Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) bagging all 39 Parliament seats from the state. If they had stayed together, they may have had enough votes to pose a serious challenge to the MK Stalin-led DMK-Congress-Communists coalition, which swept the polls.

Without this coalition, Tamil Nadu would have seen a five-cornered fight, giving the newest entrant, Actor Vijay-led Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK), enough leverage over the more entrenched rivals. Vijay, who had declared both the DMK and the BJP as his targets, may now lose a likely alliance partner in AIADMK if the latter joins hands with the BJP. It would also affect the number of seats that Vijay's party could bag in 2026.

According to a CVoter survey, MK Stalin continues to be the most preferred choice for chief minister, with 27% of respondents picking him for the top post. Vijay was second with 18% votes. EPS and K Annamalai got 9% and 10%, respectively.

However, if the BJP and AIADMK join hands, there'll be no question on Edappadi's candidature for the top seat and together, they would have 19% of the support, even as per the survey, more than Vijay. Despite his mass following, an alliance with the AIADMK would be a missed opportunity for Vijay, making his electoral debut. And if the BJP and AIADMK manage to stay together till 2029, the alliance may be in for a much better tally than what it had in 2024.

.