“I have already informed the core committee in writing that I will not contest from any constituency. Even the list of probable candidates sent to the high command for approval did not contain my name. So, it is not that I was denied a ticket. The truth is that I decided not to contest. Since this has become a topic of discussion in the media, I am clarifying it here,” Annamalai told reporters at Chennai airport.
His clarification comes a day after the BJP released its first list of 27 candidates for the April 23 Assembly polls, triggering intense speculation over the conspicuous absence of the party’s former Tamil Nadu chief.
Also read: Tamil Nadu Assembly Elections 2026: BJP releases list of 27 candidates
‘Campaigning is my role’
Reiterating that his role in the election is organisational rather than electoral, Annamalai said he would campaign extensively for BJP and NDA candidates across regions.
“I am not in the race or list. In this election, my role is to campaign for the candidates across Tamil Nadu. Right now, the party has given me the responsibility to campaign in Puducherry and Kerala till April 7 and from then till April 23 in Tamil Nadu. This is the responsibility given to me by the party. I will be fulfilling that responsibility,” he said.
He added that his decision had been communicated in advance to the party leadership, including Union Minister Piyush Goyal, BJP national general secretary B L Santosh, and Tamil Nadu BJP chief Nainar Nagendran.
“When I did not express any interest in contesting, how could the leadership allocate me a ticket? If I had decided to contest, it wouldn’t have mattered which constituency I could have contested from anywhere,” he said, while thanking the leadership for “respecting” his decision.
Speculation amid alliance reset
Annamalai’s statement follows widespread conjecture that his omission from the candidate list was linked to the BJP’s renewed alliance with the AIADMK, which is leading the NDA bloc in the state.
Under the seat-sharing arrangement, the AIADMK will contest 169 of the 234 seats, while the BJP has been allotted 27 seats. Other NDA allies include PMK (18), AMMK (11), Tamil Maanila Congress (5), IJK (1), and Puratchi Bharatham (1).
Also read: Tamil Nadu Assembly Elections 2026: TVK chief Vijay files nomination for Tiruchirapalli East
The BJP’s list includes senior leaders such as Tamilisai Soundararajan, Vanathi Srinivasan, and Union Minister L Murugan, but not Annamalai, who had been widely seen as the party’s most prominent face in the state.
A former IPS officer known as “Singham,” Annamalai led the Tamil Nadu BJP from 2021 and was credited with boosting its visibility, including through the “En Mann, En Makkal” yatra ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. He later stepped down as state president following the elections, in which the BJP increased its vote share to 11 per cent but failed to win any seats.
Tamil Nadu will go to polls in a single phase on April 23, with counting scheduled for May 4. The main contest is expected between the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance and the AIADMK-led NDA, with actor Vijay also attempting to emerge as a third force.
On his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Annamalai said, “It will be a general discussion during the election. I see it as an opportunity to interact with the PM.”
