A shirtless K Annamalai whipping himself six times outside his house in Coimbatore on Friday made national headlines. It was his “penance”—and protest—over the sexual assault of a student at Anna University in Chennai. Annamalai’s vow not to wear any footwear until the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam is unseated from power in the state will also be challenging to keep.
The Tamil Nadu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president may, however, be in more pain at seeing how his willingness to endure physical agony didn’t get any acknowledgement from the party high command—not publicly, at least. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and BJP national president JP Nadda didn’t tweet about Annamalai’s pains. Nor did the national BJP.
That must be stinging the former IPS officer more. When he had quit the police service in May 2019, the 2011 batch Karnataka cadre officer was barely 35. A visit to Kailash Mansarovar apparently helped him set his priorities in life.
Also read: BJP’s Annamalai achieved too many things too quickly. Now he will have to learn to be patient
A dream run
As an IPS officer, he earned the moniker of Singham, named after the tough cop (Ajay Devgn) in the movie of the same name. A few months later, Annamalai joined the BJP. One doesn’t know who or what inspired him to take the plunge into politics. Not the character of Singham, of course. Because Singham could successfully execute politician-criminal Jaikant Shikre (Prakash Raj), the main villain in the movie. Ashok Saraf, playing the role of a disillusioned constable, says in the movie: “Is desh ki rajniti mein system ho na ho…yahaan ke system mein rajniti zaroor chalta hai.” Did it come as a revelation to then-Deputy Commissioner of Police, Bengaluru (South)? You never know. Or, probably, Annamalai took Shikre seriously: “Minister log mere peeche aur police log mere jeb mein rahte hain.”
Be that as it may, Annamalai had a dream run as a politician. Barely a year into politics, he became the BJP’s Tamil Nadu president in July 2021. He emerged as the principal Opposition voice in the state soon, pulling punches much, much beyond the BJP’s political weight in the Dravidian land. There were talks about how he could make Hindutva, bolstered by PM Modi’s popular appeal, a force to reckon with in Tamil Nadu politics. That was not to be. The 2024 Lok Sabha elections came as a big dampener. Annamalai soon left Tamil Nadu for three months on a Chevening fellowship to the UK.
Last Friday, Annamalai virtually announced his return by flagellating himself in public. So, what’s in store for him? Tough times ahead, for sure.
To start with, he should hope to get a second term as Tamil Nadu BJP president when the organisational elections take place in January. He will need the high command’s blessings for that. But Modi and Shah don’t seem to be keenly looking at the party in Tamil Nadu at this stage. Until the Lok Sabha elections, Modi visited the state seven times in 2024. Shah also visited several times. They haven’t returned after the elections though.
Also read: Annamalai, Kishan Reddy, Vijayendra—why BJP’s war horses in South are running out of steam
A disappointed Modi-Shah
So, have Modi and Shah given up on the BJP’s expansion in Tamil Nadu? The parliamentary poll results were disappointing, for sure, especially given the high expectations generated by Annamalai. The BJP went into the polls with eight allies, including Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) and GK Vasan’s Tamil Maanila Congress (Moopanar). The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) drew a blank. The BJP, contested 23 seats—including four in which allies contested on BJP symbol. It did not win a single seat, though it secured 11.38 per cent of the vote.
BJP supporters have drawn solace from this double-digit voteshare in 2024. In comparison, the BJP’s voteshare was only 3.62 per cent in 2019 when the NDA was a much stronger umbrella, comprising then-ruling All India Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), PMK, Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK), and Tamil Maanila Congress (TMC).
In 2014, the AIADMK was not part of the NDA. The BJP had allied with the PMK, DMDK, and Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK). The BJP secured 5.56 per cent of the votes, contesting 8 seats. So, the BJP’s performance in the last three Lok Sabha elections should be seen in the context of the number of seats it contested—5.56 per cent of votes in 2014 (8 seats), 3.62 per cent in 2019 (5 seats), and 11.38 per cent in 2024 (23 seats).
These numbers certainly don’t inspire much confidence about the BJP’s growing political clout in Tamil Nadu. In Coimbatore, Annamalai lost but ended up with 32.79 percent of the votes. For comparison, BJP candidate CP Radhakrishnan polled 31.47 per cent in 2019 and 33.62 per cent in 2014. Let’s not forget here that Coimbatore has long been a BJP stronghold—Radhakrishnan won there in 1999 and came second in 2004 with close to 39 per cent voteshare.
So, yes, if one goes by the numbers, Modi and Shah may have reasons to be disappointed with the 2024 Lok Sabha results when the party seemed to be best-placed to make its mark in the Dravidian land.
Also read: ‘Admonishment by Amit Shah?’ — Annamalai, Tamilisai blame game over LS polls divides Tamil Nadu BJP
Annamalai, soft and battle-ready
No wonder, the BJP national leadership is looking to re-engage with the AIADMK in the run-up to the 2026 Assembly elections. This has prompted Annamalai to give up his stridency against the AIADMK and signalling a willingness to join hands with opposition parties. As for AIADMK general secretary Palaniswami’s reservation against the BJP, Annamalai said, “Let’s wait and watch.”
Annamalai is sounding like a changed man, of course—from someone who sought to take on all Dravidian parties. He knows that the party high command may have long-term expansion plans, but to be on the ruling side after 2026 Assembly election is a priority. If that means putting off the expansion plans, so be it.
But even this immediate goal is getting tougher. Actor Vijay is increasingly gaining traction after entering politics. And he considers the BJP his “ideological enemy”. Palaniswami and Vijay may find a common cause in keeping the BJP out in their fight against the DMK.
To make matters worse for the BJP, the PMK—an NDA ally in the last three Lok Sabha elections and the 2021 Assembly election— seems to be staring at a crisis, with party founder S Ramadoss and his son and party president Anbumani Ramadoss going on a collision course on Sunday. If they decide to go separate ways, it would help the ruling alliance one way or the other.
As it is, Annamalai seems to have hit a very rough patch after a four-year golden run in politics. Given the present political equations in Tamil Nadu, the best scenario for him could be to get his footwear back if the DMK loses power in 2026. But, for someone who saw the era of Dravidian politics getting over, that will hardly be a solace.
The next Assembly election is, however, 15 months away. It’s a long time in politics for scenarios to change. And Annamalai is known to be an eternal optimist.
DK Singh is Political Editor at ThePrint. He tweets @dksingh73. Views are personal.
(Edited by Prashant)