The elevation of the former IPS K Annamalai to state presidency is one more turn in the direction for establishing the presence in Sothern Indian state. K Annamalai a mechanical Engineer & an MBA graduate rose to fame due to his hard work as an IPS in the Karnataka cadre. He joined in 2011 as a Superintendent of Police in Udipi & Ramanagara districts followed by his elevation to Deputy Commissioner (South) Bangalore. His record on resolving the issues on communal problems and crack down on criminal activity is exemplary.

The appointment of L Murugan as a president of BJP Tamil Nadu in March 2020 was also a move that established BJP as a party of all. The Vel – Yatra ensured the acceptance of BJP in the masses and it helped shed away its image as a upper caste party.

The ascendancy of K Annamalai has not only been a smooth transition but also he has the freedom to implement his ideas to ensure grass root development of the organisation & opportunity to take the party ideology across all segments of the society.

BJP ensured all the senior leaders of the party who have contributed to the growth of BJP have been accommodated in Government or Party positions, Tamilisai Soundararajan has been appointed as a governor of Telangana after a stint being a BJP president in Tamil Nadu and winning the Kanyakumari lok Sabha seat for the party. Vanathi Srinivasan who contested & won a prestigious battle in state assembly elections against Kamal Hasan is already a BJP Mahila Morcha National President.

Tamil Nadu BJP has always been a scattered lot with people from Dravidian parties coming & going away all the time. Being a National party & in recent years Honourable Prime Minister Narendra Modi & Amit Shah has been focusing on Tamil Nadu by appreciating the language, culture & the development work that has been done in Tamil Nadu.

We focus on the challenges & opportunities that K Annamalai has to face in the time till next election.

The organisational strength of BJP is weak across the length & breath of Tamil Nadu. The state with 13000 villages will need a strong organisation cadres, worker in every booth, the organisational office across districts, talukas & network across gram panchayats. This will help percolate the BJP ideology across the length & breath of Tamil Nadu.

The young party president & his hard work on the ground will surely enthuse the cadres & assist in getting more & more people under the party banner in the coming years. The media management is an important aspect. As the 4 elected MLA’s will fiercely debate issues on the floor of the house, the same should resonate with the local people across the state. The awareness of Central government schemes amongst the general populace is also an uphill task. The awareness on Free Temples movement will be one of the step in the right direction.

The party already has a array of film stars including the likes of Khushbu Sundar & Namitha to compliment the work on the ground.

BJP & AIADMK

BJP & AIADMK have been allies and with recent statements across the media the two parties still want to continue alliance though there are murmurs between the AIADMK that they lost the state elections due to alliance with BJP, as the rival DMK was able to successfully paint the BJP as anti Tamil party & attack on Tamil culture & identity. AIADMK is clear that with BJP they do not have any common ideology & the alliance is formed to have a smooth relation between the Center & State Governments for better governance & development. To thread the alliance with a fine line & develop a grass root network is a challenge worth taking up.

Opportunities:

K. Annamalai will have a lot of time at hand as the state elections are recently concluded. Now the next big elections in Tamil Nadu will be National elections 2024. So almost three years of preparation before the big elections are announced. The state with no representation of BJP in the Central Government the opportunity is big & tough. How many seats BJP will contest in 2024 & possible wins in the state. After that the state elections in 2025 will be a real test for the local BJP unit to carve out its place in the Tamil Nadu politics. Here again it will have an opportunity to overthrow the DMK & make an electoral base.

Its hard work & resilience that is needed to establish a base in a state that has not seen a Central Govt party in state power for more than five decades.

For a young 37 year old leader this has come as an opportunity of lifetime. We hope K Annamalai comes out as one of the most successful leader in BJP Tamil Nadu in the years to come.

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