Annamalai's Wings Clipped As Nirmala Sitharaman To Lead Alliance Formation?

The BJP high command is reportedly upset with its state chief Annamalai after the AIADMK ended its alliance, last week.

Annamalai is currently in New Delhi and met top leadership including Union Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP National Secretary BL Santhosh, and Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday.

"In all the meetings with BJP top leaders, Annamalai was asked to explain the real reasons behind the unexpected crack in the NDA alliance. The high command was also exploring other possibilities for the alliance in Tamil Nadu where 39 Lok Sabha seats are at stake. They further discussed the internal issues in the state BJP and the ongoing padayatra of Annamalai. Later, the former IPS officer was asked to stay in New Delhi for 'sometime'," sources told DT Next.

Last week, the AIADMK announced walking out of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and said it would lead a separate front for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

The decision to break away from the NDA was taken at a high-level meeting chaired by party chief Edappadi K Palaniswami at the AIADMK headquarters. The resolution, without naming anyone, said the BJP's state leadership has been of late defaming Dravidian stalwart, the late CN Annadurai and late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, besides criticising its policies.

It was obvious the Dravidian party was miffed with BJP state president K Annamalai, whose recent comments about Dravidian stalwart Annadurai had created a rift between the two erstwhile allies.

Rumours are rife that Annamalai's wings might be clipped by the party as it is considering the formation of a high-level committee comprised of senior BJP leaders. This committee will be tasked with forming alliance strategies, engaging in discussions, and managing seat-sharing negotiations with the current NDA allies.

The report claims that Union Home Minister Nirmala Sitharaman been assigned the task of forming a formidable alliance ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. "The BJP high command seems to be upset with the exit of AIADMK. Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is likely to take care of the state's affairs henceforth and she is likely to have a crucial role in forming the NDA alliance in TN. With the TN BJP chief being asked to stay in Delhi, the state unit had postponed the district presidents and core committee members meeting scheduled on Tuesday," the sources added.

However, the BJP leaders refused to accept this and since there was no progress in the talks, the meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah could not take place.

Meanwhile, Nirmala Sitharaman is in Coimbatore to take part in pre-planned events.