Lok Sabha election results: Knives out for Tamil Nadu BJP chief after drawing a blank in Tamil Nadu

CHENNAI: Discontent raged within Tamil Nadu BJP unit, with some second-rung leaders evincing strong views about state party president K Annamalai's 'miscalculated' strategies leading to AIADMK breaking ties with BJP, that cost them dearly.
On Thursday, BJP state president K Annamalai, while noting that AIADMK had been rejected by people, ruled out the possibility of an alliance with the primary Dravidian party in the 2026 assembly election, provided he remained in charge.
Certain sections in BJP believe that an alliance with AIADMK for Lok Sabha polls could have been a game-changer, potentially backing Narendra Modi's overall tally, which is currently below majority mark. Annamalai's move to sideline AIADMK to boost BJP's growth has not gone down well with sections in the party.
BJP secured fourth position in Nagapattinam and forfeited its deposit in 11 out of 23 constituencies it contested, including that of its ally IJK in Perambalur. Allies such as PMK, TMC, and AMMK also lost their security deposits in 10 seats for failing to meet the required one-sixth threshold of votes polled.
"The unilateral decision of the leadership not to align with AIADMK has backfired on us," said a senior functionary, requesting anonymity. Senior leaders privately expressed "concerns" about the BJP IT cell's reaction to opinions against the state leadership.
BJP state intellectual cell in-charge Kalyan Raman took to X to accuse Annamalai of trying to mislead the central leadership "as usual." He termed the results as a "significant loss of face in the public eye, poor perception management, and a pathetic political misadventure."
Raman told TOI he was talking "hard truth" as the party's "war room" was trying to create a myth around Annamalai as if he was a god sent, while he was not.