AIADMK Blames BJP's Annamalai For Split From NDA And Lok Sabha Election Defeat

Following the DMK-led INDIA alliance's decisive victory in the Lok Sabha elections in Tamil Nadu, the AIADMK on Thursday attributed their split from the NDA to BJP's state chief, K Annamalai. During a press conference, AIADMK leader SP Velumani asserted that if not for Annamalai, the AIADMK-NDA alliance could have secured 35 seats.

Highlighting the AIADMK's performance, Velumani noted that the party's vote share increased from 19.39 percent in 2019 to 20.3 percent in 2024. He claimed the split was due to Annamalai's alleged disrespect towards the legacies of Anna and Jayalalithaa.

Velumani criticized Annamalai, stating, "Under the previous BJP leadership of Tamilisai Soundararajan and L Murugan, our alliance was strong. However, Annamalai's continual criticism of our leaders, including Amma, Anna, and Edapadi K. Palanisamy, led to our decision to leave the alliance. With continued alliance, we could have won 35 seats."

Annamalai lost to DMK's Ganapathy Rajkumar by over 100,000 votes. Unlike the previous election where AIADMK secured one seat, this time the party lost all 39 seats, slipping to third position in 12 key constituencies. The BJP-led NDA secured second place in nine of these seats, trailing behind DMK.