Chennai, April 4 Amidst speculation that his name was not on the BJP's list of candidates for the April 23 Assembly election, former Tamil Nadu BJP chief K Annamalai attended a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi here on Saturday, which the party described as a "casual conversation."
Annamalai, who arrived from Kannur in Kerala, clarified that he had decided not to contest this time and would instead campaign for the victory of the NDA.
Tamil Nadu BJP leader Piyush Goyal said the meeting with the prime minister was a "casual conversation" in which Annamalai also participated. "Annamalai is a disciplined worker who expressed his desire to campaign for the victory of NDA candidates," Goyal told reporters here.
At the meeting, Goyal said, "We had a casual conversation as we do within the party, among friends. The PM was giving us guidance that we have to work together as a family to win in all 234 constituencies. After that, he left for Kerala."
The Union minister criticized a section of the media for claiming that the BJP had planned a roadshow in Chennai and later cancelled it. "I don't know who is spreading this false information. I think the DMK is completely frustrated and they can see their defeat coming... I don't know when the roadshow was planned and cancelled... this is just an imagination."
He added that the prime minister had come to attend a roadshow in Puducherry and later left for a campaign in Kerala. "Chennai is a transit point because there is no airport in the Union territory," he added.
Regarding Annamalai's role, Goyal said that the party had considered those who would contest and those who would campaign. "He (Annamalai) said he would campaign for the NDA. He is a disciplined worker of the party who desires to campaign for the victory of NDA candidates," he said.
Goyal stated that he was "extremely happy" with the seat allocation with the AIADMK and remarked that "in elections, you accept certain seats which are your stronghold and convert the weaker ones into strong ones. In this election, we selected good seats. We are happy. If you say someone is happy or someone is unhappy, then please talk to us rather than relying on your sources," Goyal said.
"I am not in the race or on the list. In this election, my role is to campaign for the candidates across Tamil Nadu. Right now, the party has given me the responsibility to campaign in Puducherry and Kerala till April 7 and from then till April 23 in Tamil Nadu. This is the responsibility given to me by the party. I will be fulfilling that responsibility," the former BJP state chief told reporters upon his arrival at the airport from Kannur.
At the airport, responding to a question on why his name did not figure on the list of BJP candidates, Annamalai said, "I have already informed the core committee in writing that I will not contest from any constituency. Even the list of probable candidates sent to the high command for approval did not contain my name. So, it is not that I was denied a ticket. The truth is that I decided not to contest. Since this has become a topic of discussion in the media, I am clarifying it here."
He had also conveyed his decision to Goyal a week ago and had communicated this to national General secretary B L Santosh and BJP chief Nitin Nabin, Annamalai said.
He said he was grateful to the BJP leadership for respecting his decision and giving him an opportunity to campaign in support of the NDA candidates.
On the meeting with Modi, he said, "It will be a general discussion during the election. I see it as an opportunity to interact with the PM."
Earlier, in the midst of his campaign in north Kerala, Annamalai had said in a post on the social media platform 'X' that: "I, as a Karyakarta, will stand shoulder to shoulder and campaign for all our BJP and other NDA candidates, with the aim of the NDA winning 210 seats in the upcoming Assembly elections."
