Annamalai In Modi 3.0 Cabinet? IPS-Officer-Turned-Politician To Continue As TN BJP Chief For Now

Speculations were rife that Tamil Nadu BJP Chief K Annamalai would secure a spot in Narendra Modi's cabinet, as the Prime Minister took oath for his third consecutive term.

Among over 60 NDA leaders who took oath on Sunday evening, Annamalai was rumoured to be one of them. Reports suggested that his potential inclusion was a recognition of his diligent efforts in Tamil Nadu, where the BJP independently achieved a double-digit vote share in the recent Lok Sabha elections.

These rumours speculated that he might assume a minister of state position.

However, sources close to News18 have clarified that Annamalai will not be joining the cabinet at this time.

Given the BJP high command's aim to fortify the party's presence in Tamil Nadu, Annamalai has been instructed to remain in his role as the state chief for the time being. According to the party's regulations, a leader can hold only one position.

Therefore, Annamalai's appointment to the Modi 3.0 cabinet is not happening. However, L Murugan will continue as Union minister of state for information & broadcasting and fisheries, animal husbandry & dairying.

Meanwhile, Dakshina Kannada's newly-elected MP Brijesh Chowta has shared a photo from Modi's oath-taking ceremony where Annamalai is seen sitting alongside Bangalore South MP Tejaswi Surya.

The BJP, which had 3.66 per cent in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, secured 11.24 per cent in 2024, surpassing that of the Congress, which stood at 10.67 per cent. This places it as the third highest, trailing behind DMK's 26.93 per cent and ADMK's 20.46 per cent.

The BJP secured second place in nine of the constituencies, including Chennai Central, Chennai South, Coimbatore, Kanyakumari, Madurai, Nilgiris, Tirunelveli, Tiruvallur, Vellore, Dharmapuri, Ramanathapuram, and Theni, the sole seat won by the AIADMK in 2019.

In the recently concluded elections, the DMK and its ally won all 38 seats in the state.

Meanwhile, a war of words has started between the BJP and the AIADMK after both parties got zero seats.

Annamalai targeted the AIADMK, asserting that his party's advancement to third place in around twelve seats where the BJP or its allies secured the second spot represented a triumph for them.

In response, former AIADMK minister R B Udhayakumar held Annamalai responsible for the poor performance of both parties.

"If Annamalai had controlled his mouth, there would have been a better result. Only one leader is responsible for this massive defeat of everyone. For his inexperience, all parties in Tamil Nadu faced this tragic result. If he had learnt from his predecessors and controlled his tongue, even Delhi leaders wouldn't be suffering this much. His wrong move made BJP short of a simple majority in Delhi," The Indian Express quoted Udhayakumar as saying.