In a wide-ranging interview with Sreenivasan Jain on the campaign trail, K. Annamalai, the BJP’s most prominent face in Tamil Nadu, navigates questions about the party’s “anti-South” perception, the friction-filled AIADMK alliance, and the emergence of actor-politician Vijay.

When challenged by the popular narrative that the recently lapsed Delimitation Bill marginalises Tamil Nadu, Annamalai dismisses the “anti-South” label. 

He cites a projected increase from 39 to 59 Lok Sabha seats – a “50 percent straight increase” – as evidence of a commitment to the state. However, Jain points out that the bill itself contained no explicit legislative guarantee of a 50 percent rise in each state’s tally, leaving the figures as contested projections.

Jain also revisits Annamalai’s past broadsides against his current allies. Despite being in a formal alliance, Annamalai has previously gone on record labeling the AIADMK, like the DMK, as “corrupt” and describing the party as a “bidding agent” under Edappadi Palaniswami. When pressed on these charges, Annamalai retreats into a disciplined party line, stating that while he holds individual opinions, his duty as a “karyakarta” is to obey the party’s direction rather than voice personal grievances.

This friction with the AIADMK appears to extend to his decision not to contest these elections. Despite being the most prominent face of the BJP in Tamil Nadu, reports indicate Annamalai was “deeply unhappy” with a seat-sharing arrangement that saw the BJP allocated fewer constituencies than desired. 

When Jain presses him on the matter, Annamalai insists the choice was a “unanimous decision” to allow him to campaign for other candidates statewide.

Finally, regarding the “Vijay factor” in these elections, Annamalai offers a striking prediction for the actor’s political debut, stating: “Vijay will also do well... He will cut a large segment of the young voters [and] get a double-digit share.” 

Watch this interview.

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