As AIADMK picks two ex-MLAs for Rajya Sabha polls, Annamalai may have missed the bus this time
Elections are to be held for six Rajya Sabha seats from Tamil Nadu on 19 July. In Tamil Nadu's 234-member assembly, the AIADMK-led alliance in the state has the numbers to send two members to the Upper House, while the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) has the numbers to send four.
Chennai: K. Annamalai, who was replaced as Tamil Nadu BJP chief in April to smoothen the road for a tie-up with the AIADMK, may not be accommodated in the Rajya Sabha this year since BJP ally AIADMK has already declared the names of two candidates for the polls.
BJP state president Nainar Nagenthiran told ThePrint that Annamalai would be accommodated at the national level by the party's national leadership at an appropriate time.
'It necessarily need not be the Rajya Sabha. He may be given a post at the national level to build the party. It will be decided by the national leadership,' Nainar Nagenthiran told ThePrint.
It may be recalled that the alliance between the AIADMK and the BJP broke in September 2023, when Annamalai was the state president of BJP. On 11 April, Nainar Nagenthiran filed nominations for the post of BJP president and Annamalai stepped aside, paving way for an alliance between the two parties. It was on the same day, Union minister Amit Shah announced the revival of the alliance.
The next set of vacancies for the Rajya Sabha will come up only in April 2026, when states including Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, West Bengal and Haryana will elect their new members.
BJP state vice-president Narayanan Thirupathy said that Annamalai would be accommodated at the national level by the party's national leadership at an appropriate time.
Meanwhile, the AIADMK named two candidates—I.S.Inbadurai and M.Dhanapal—for the Rajya Sabha on Sunday.
Belonging to a Christian Nadar community, Inbadurai is a practicing criminal lawyer in Madras High Court and a former MLA from Radhapuram between 2016 and 2021. He joined the party in 1983 and served as the special government pleader in the Madras High Court between 2011 and 2016 during the AIADMK period. He is the party's advocate wing president.
Dhanapal, belonging to the Adi Dravidar caste, a Scheduled Caste, is a party's old timer and former MLA from Thiruporur between 1991 and 1996. He has been active in politics ever since MGR founded the party in 1972.
In a statement, AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami assured that a Rajya Sabha seat will be allocated to the Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam in 2026, hinting that the DMDK is still in alliance with his party.
However, DMDK general secretary Premalatha Vijayakanth said that it was the 'duty' of the AIADMK to allocate a Rajya Sabha seat.
Asked if the DMDK is still part of the AIADMK-led alliance, she told the media in Chennai that they would announce the alliance in their party's conference in Cuddalore in January 2026, months before the 2026 assembly election. 'Since the Rajya Sabha seat to the DMDK is only close to the elections, we will also announce our stands close to the election,' Premalatha Vijakanth said.
She also thanked Chief Minister M.K.Stalin for passing a resolution at the DMK's general council meeting in Madurai, condoling the death of DMDK founder Vijayakanth.
Political analyst Raveendran Duraisamy pointed out that it was time for the AIADMK to send a message to its party workers rather than the alliance partners.
'At a time when the party is gearing up for the 2026 assembly elections, the party leadership has felt that it is the need of the hour to reassure its workers that they would be rewarded for their work, irrespective of the positions they hold now. That's what it shows by the appointment of the old-timer Dhanapal,' Duraisamy told ThePrint.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
Also Read: Back in action, BJP's Annamalai positions himself as rival to Udhayanidhi & Vijay, eases up on AIADMK
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