BJP Tamil Nadu President K. Annamalai turned 38 this week. Annamalai who has been in politics for less than 18 months holding the post of party president for an year, has already become a Tamil youth icon, trebled BJP’s vote share in local polls, rattled the Dravidian ecosystem and has rekindled Tamil Nadu’s dormant Hindu conscious.
Here are some of the shifts that has happened in Tamil Nadu since the ascension of Annamalai.
1. BJP’s Performance
Within a year of presidency, Annamalai has managed to pull the party’s vote share from a 30 year historical average of 2.2% to 5.6% in local body elections where non-ruling parties convert 50-60% of base. If one is to consider the local body polls as a dipstick, then it can safely be said that an 8-10% core votebank has been formed for BJP. What couldn’t be done in 30 years, Annamalai has done it in 10 months.
2. A Self-Made Credibile Face
Tamil Nadu politics post Jayalalithaa and Karunanidhi suffers from a paucity of credible faces, with M.K. Stalin, Edappadi K. Palaniswami, O. Panneerselvam standing solely on party structure. The AIADMK leadership duo are in their mid 60s while Seeman and Anbumani are in their mid 50s. There is literally no one below 55 who can challenge DMK here. Annamalai at 38 stands unique, getting serious traction among voters under the age of 35 as they look for a fresh face. Afterall, the man had to build his reputation on a rudderless Tamil Nadu BJP which had become a subject of ridicule. A farmer’s son reaching heights of IIM and IPS contrasts visibly with vastly affluent ADMK heads and DMK family scions.
Therefore, Annamalai is well set to outlast all current leaders.
3. Brought In Personality Cult
As an extension of the point above, voters of Tamil Nadu are leader oriented with mass hero worship and loyalty once established lasting decades. An organic cult of personality for Annamalai is visible across age spectrum. If as a Tamil, he could get celebrated as Singham in Karnataka, this should come as no surprise.
4. Defense To Offensive Defense
Biggest change to Tamil Nadu BJP has seen since the arrival of Annamalai is, he is the one setting the political agenda of the state everyday. A 24×7 politician like Modi with aggressive attack on every little space DMK cedes. This relentless approach has enthused cadres and has reset the culture of BJP state unit.
And the key achievement of Anna’s reign has been exposing vested interests of the Dravidian Stockist media in Tamil Nadu. His press interactions are big hits and moved BJP from perpetual defense to offense mode. Like how Prime Minister Narendra Modi faced a hostile media from 2002 to 2014, Annamalai is facing it now and he is winning.
5. Anti-DMKism
Tamil Nadu BJP heads soft peddled when it came to the state’s first family. Since taking over, Annamalai has gone straight at them with corruption and nepotism charges. The late Jayalalithaa became a star because of this no holds barred approach, as anti-DMK voters perceive it as a sign of commitment.
DMK’s 20-25% Dravidian base been the central axis of Tamil Nadu politics for 6 decades. The contest here has been about galvanizing diverging interests of a majority with the rest along with a binding narrative. Annamalai’s zero compromise anti-DMK approach is outshining ADMK’s middling opposition.
6. Spiritualism
His efforts on establishing rights of Hindu mutts, rallying against evangelical conversion, protecting Temple administration from government interference has given spiritual institutions of Tamil Nadu a voice generating visible Hindu conscious for the first time in the state.
The picture below probably captures best the political astuteness of Annamalai. This is in early days of his presidency, note how he projects his personal work space. A meticulously arranged line of icons catering to both ideological base he already commands & voter base he aims to capture.
The tallest is Ambedkar as Annamalai declared that BJP will give Tamil Nadu its first Dalit CM, leveraging a chink in Dravidian armor. Next is Hindu Samrat Shivaji, with nationalists Vivekananda and Subramania Bharathi. At the back one can see Kanchi Maha Periyavar Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswati Swamigal and a Vel establishing his rootedness to Dharma. And then there is a pair of ploughing bulls signifying his agrarian origin.
These optics seem trivial but if a leader puts this level of thought into constructing projections from his worktable, that’s an excellent reflection of his understanding of who already backs him and who he is aiming to attract. This intellect is key to winning in the Dravidian ecosystem.
As a self-made leader with an incorruptible image, he has delivered electorally within one year, replaced ADMK as the primary anti-DMK force in perception & building grassroots strength to convert that perception into results in 2024 and 2026. TN and BJP have struck gold with Annamalai.
This article is based on Cogito’s tweet.
Click here to subscribe to The Commune on Telegram and get the best stories of the day delivered to you personally.
The Underrated Undercurrents Under Annamalai
BJP Tamil Nadu President K. Annamalai turned 38 this week. Annamalai who has been in politics for less than 18 months holding the post of party president for an year, has already become a Tamil youth icon, trebled BJP’s vote share in local polls, rattled the Dravidian ecosystem and has rekindled Tamil Nadu’s dormant Hindu conscious.
Here are some of the shifts that has happened in Tamil Nadu since the ascension of Annamalai.
1. BJP’s Performance
Within a year of presidency, Annamalai has managed to pull the party’s vote share from a 30 year historical average of 2.2% to 5.6% in local body elections where non-ruling parties convert 50-60% of base. If one is to consider the local body polls as a dipstick, then it can safely be said that an 8-10% core votebank has been formed for BJP. What couldn’t be done in 30 years, Annamalai has done it in 10 months.
2. A Self-Made Credibile Face
Tamil Nadu politics post Jayalalithaa and Karunanidhi suffers from a paucity of credible faces, with M.K. Stalin, Edappadi K. Palaniswami, O. Panneerselvam standing solely on party structure. The AIADMK leadership duo are in their mid 60s while Seeman and Anbumani are in their mid 50s. There is literally no one below 55 who can challenge DMK here. Annamalai at 38 stands unique, getting serious traction among voters under the age of 35 as they look for a fresh face. Afterall, the man had to build his reputation on a rudderless Tamil Nadu BJP which had become a subject of ridicule. A farmer’s son reaching heights of IIM and IPS contrasts visibly with vastly affluent ADMK heads and DMK family scions.
Therefore, Annamalai is well set to outlast all current leaders.
3. Brought In Personality Cult
As an extension of the point above, voters of Tamil Nadu are leader oriented with mass hero worship and loyalty once established lasting decades. An organic cult of personality for Annamalai is visible across age spectrum. If as a Tamil, he could get celebrated as Singham in Karnataka, this should come as no surprise.
4. Defense To Offensive Defense
Biggest change to Tamil Nadu BJP has seen since the arrival of Annamalai is, he is the one setting the political agenda of the state everyday. A 24×7 politician like Modi with aggressive attack on every little space DMK cedes. This relentless approach has enthused cadres and has reset the culture of BJP state unit.
And the key achievement of Anna’s reign has been exposing vested interests of the Dravidian Stockist media in Tamil Nadu. His press interactions are big hits and moved BJP from perpetual defense to offense mode. Like how Prime Minister Narendra Modi faced a hostile media from 2002 to 2014, Annamalai is facing it now and he is winning.
5. Anti-DMKism
Tamil Nadu BJP heads soft peddled when it came to the state’s first family. Since taking over, Annamalai has gone straight at them with corruption and nepotism charges. The late Jayalalithaa became a star because of this no holds barred approach, as anti-DMK voters perceive it as a sign of commitment.
DMK’s 20-25% Dravidian base been the central axis of Tamil Nadu politics for 6 decades. The contest here has been about galvanizing diverging interests of a majority with the rest along with a binding narrative. Annamalai’s zero compromise anti-DMK approach is outshining ADMK’s middling opposition.
6. Spiritualism
His efforts on establishing rights of Hindu mutts, rallying against evangelical conversion, protecting Temple administration from government interference has given spiritual institutions of Tamil Nadu a voice generating visible Hindu conscious for the first time in the state.
The picture below probably captures best the political astuteness of Annamalai. This is in early days of his presidency, note how he projects his personal work space. A meticulously arranged line of icons catering to both ideological base he already commands & voter base he aims to capture.
The tallest is Ambedkar as Annamalai declared that BJP will give Tamil Nadu its first Dalit CM, leveraging a chink in Dravidian armor. Next is Hindu Samrat Shivaji, with nationalists Vivekananda and Subramania Bharathi. At the back one can see Kanchi Maha Periyavar Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswati Swamigal and a Vel establishing his rootedness to Dharma. And then there is a pair of ploughing bulls signifying his agrarian origin.
These optics seem trivial but if a leader puts this level of thought into constructing projections from his worktable, that’s an excellent reflection of his understanding of who already backs him and who he is aiming to attract. This intellect is key to winning in the Dravidian ecosystem.
As a self-made leader with an incorruptible image, he has delivered electorally within one year, replaced ADMK as the primary anti-DMK force in perception & building grassroots strength to convert that perception into results in 2024 and 2026. TN and BJP have struck gold with Annamalai.
This article is based on Cogito’s tweet.
Click here to subscribe to The Commune on Telegram and get the best stories of the day delivered to you personally.