Annamalai Upset Over Seat Sharing? BJP Sends Arjun Ram Meghwal to Coimbatore for Damage Control

Chennai/Coimbatore: Signs of unease have surfaced within the BJP ranks in Tamil Nadu after former state president K. Annamalai expressed dissatisfaction over seat allocation in the AIADMK-BJP alliance for the upcoming Assembly elections. In a notable development, Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal personally met Annamalai in Coimbatore, in what is being seen as an attempt by the party’s central leadership to defuse tensions.

The BJP, which is contesting 27 seats as part of its alliance with the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, has been allotted constituencies including Mylapore, Thali, Modakkurichi, Avinashi (SC), Tiruppur South, Coimbatore North, and Pudukottai, among others. However, key constituencies in Coimbatore district — particularly Singanallur and Kavundampalayam — which Annamalai reportedly preferred, were not allocated to the party.

Instead, Coimbatore North has been assigned to the BJP, where Vanathi Srinivasan is expected to contest. This has effectively sidelined Annamalai from the electoral fray, with sources indicating that he conveyed his unwillingness to contest under the current arrangement to the party leadership.

Party insiders suggest that Annamalai’s absence from the electoral contest could impact the BJP’s grassroots mobilisation, particularly in the western belt of Tamil Nadu, where he has built a strong political presence in recent years. His aggressive campaigning style and direct attacks on the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam had positioned him as one of the BJP’s prominent faces in the state.

Amid this backdrop, Arjun Ram Meghwal, who has been appointed as the BJP’s co-incharge for Tamil Nadu elections, met Annamalai at a badminton court in Coimbatore. The two were seen playing a friendly game, a gesture widely interpreted within political circles as a symbolic outreach effort.

Later, Annamalai shared photographs of the interaction on his social media platform X (formerly Twitter), stating: “There is nothing that matches badminton in terms of agility, sweat and intensity. Glad that Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal joined us in Coimbatore.”

While the post maintained a light tone, sources indicate that discussions between the two leaders extended beyond the sporting exchange, touching upon electoral strategy and internal coordination.

The BJP is yet to release its full list of candidates for the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, adding to the suspense around Annamalai’s final role in the campaign. Political observers note that even if he does not contest, the party may deploy him extensively as a star campaigner to maximise outreach.

The episode underscores the delicate balancing act within alliance politics in Tamil Nadu, where seat-sharing negotiations often trigger friction among stakeholders. Whether the BJP leadership succeeds in bringing Annamalai fully on board remains to be seen.