Annamalai says Vijay’s TVK will get votes but won’t play spoilsport for NDA

“NDA will come to power after the May 4 counting with a very huge mandate,” says K Annamalai, asserting that the electoral ground in Tamil Nadu has “clearly shifted” in recent weeks. As campaigning intensifies across the state, The Federal spoke to the BJP leader about key poll issues, actor Vijay’s political entry, the DMK’s strategy, and the broader debate on welfare and governance.

You’ve been campaigning across Tamil Nadu. How do you read the ground situation?

The ground has shifted. Three weeks back, it was a very different election; now it is a completely different one. In the last three weeks, the ground has clearly turned in favour of NDA.

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Generally, in Tamil Nadu politics, people make up their mind in the last two weeks. In surveys, the undecided column will be very high—around 30%. But now people have started deciding. Based on my ground read, NDA will come to power with a very huge mandate.

This applies across regions, including Kongu and all segments of Tamil Nadu. That is my current reading of the ground.

What are the key election issues for BJP in Tamil Nadu?

It varies from area to area. In Kongu, law and order is a predominant issue. There is also concern about small-scale industries and urban infrastructure—especially congestion in Coimbatore.

If you go to the south, it is more about drinking water, law and order, jobs for youth, and bringing industries there. In the delta region, there is a clear agrarian crisis.

Tamil Nadu was ranked second in rice production 7–8 years ago. Now it has slipped to the tenth rank. That shows the crisis in the delta belt.

In areas like Pudukottai and Trichy outskirts, drinking water and agrarian issues dominate. Overall, people across Tamil Nadu feel the DMK has failed in its duty to address basic livelihood concerns. So this election will be a vote against DMK and in favour of NDA.

How do you see Vijay’s political entry impacting the election?

Vijay is a very important player, no doubt. He is able to attract crowds, especially youngsters, and his manifesto is largely populist. He is now actively campaigning.

I think he will get a good vote share. But in Tamil Nadu, converting vote share into seats is a different ball game.

People feel NDA is governance-ready. In constituencies we visited, voters want continuity—whether it is the current MLA or former MLAs. So candidate credibility matters along with the party.

Vijay will take votes from all parties. No party can claim votes as fixed. There are floating votes and new voters too. But I am not worried about that. I am focused on overall vote numbers and demographics.

He will do well, but he will not act as a spoiler for NDA.

The chief minister is framing this as Tamil Nadu vs Delhi and raising issues like delimitation and language. Your response?

I think the chief minister has got the election pitch wrong. Maybe in 2024 such a pitch could work, but in 2026 it does not. On the ground, I do not see any traction.

For example, when he asked people to put black flags on their houses, I did not see that happening among common people. Maybe a few DMK office-bearers did it, but not the public.

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That shows people are not buying the delimitation argument. Before delimitation, out of 543 MPs, the South has 129. After expansion, it will have 195, maintaining around 23.78%. In fact, the percentage may increase slightly.

So nobody has a problem. The chief minister seems focused on opposing Delhi on every issue. That mindset does not work in elections.

After the results, he will realise that the entire pitch from day one was wrong. Instead of highlighting governance, he is fear-mongering, which is unfortunate.

Tamil Nadu elections are increasingly driven by freebies. What is your view on this?

Tamil Nadu has a huge debt of ₹10.62 lakh crore. Servicing it itself costs ₹70,000–80,000 crore annually. So political parties must be careful about what they promise and how they fund it.

Right now, politicians promise schemes but are rarely questioned on funding sources. I hope this changes in the future.

At the same time, not all welfare is bad. Some welfare economics is necessary—putting money directly into people’s hands helps local economies.

But some schemes are outright freebies. Political parties need to take responsibility and have a serious debate on this issue.

How do you assess V Senthil Balaji’s entry into Coimbatore?

Senthil Balaji is a hardworking politician, no doubt. But he also has several negative aspects—corruption allegations and scams. He spent 471 days in prison.

Karur has a unique political style, but Coimbatore is very different. The voting pattern here is different, and campaign methods cannot be replicated easily.

You cannot just gather people in sheds and run elections like that here. I believe he will realise that Coimbatore is different and that his model may not work. On May 4, he might have a painful realisation.

You have a strong personal following. Why are you not contesting, and what lies ahead for you?

Politics requires both short-term and long-term thinking. This time, the party has given me the responsibility to campaign, and campaigning is a very demanding job.

I am travelling across Tamil Nadu, meeting candidates, cadres, and the public. I recently covered Kerala and Puducherry, and now I am continuously on the road.

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Campaigning gives me an opportunity to meet people, especially youngsters, and understand their mood. Contesting in one constituency would limit that exposure.

I am grateful for the love people show me. I always think carefully before making decisions because I must respect that trust.

Beyond politics, I run a foundation called ‘We The Leaders’, focusing on organic farming and skilling. That keeps me busy.

As for the future, the party will decide my role. Whatever responsibility is given, I will take it up.

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