BJP Tamil Nadu president K. Annamalai said on Thursday that the 2024 general election in the State would be a contest between the BJP and the DMK since they were the ruling parties at the Centre and in the State respectively.
Addressing the media after attending a meeting of the party office-bearers here, Mr. Annamalai said the 2024 election would mark a big change for the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in Tamil Nadu, which would be seen in the seats that the party wins and its vote share.
He refused to answer direct questions about how the BJP was viewing the exit of the AIADMK from the NDA. It can be noted that the national party is yet to officially spell out its stand on the AIADMK’s exit nearly two weeks ago. He maintained that any decision on the alliance would be taken by the party’s national leadership.
He, however, added that every party, including the BJP, acted with its own interest in mind. According to him, the BJP emerged as the third largest party in the State in the 2022 urban local body elections because of its decision to contest alone. The BJP had grown in the State and it would reflect in the 2024 election, he added.
To a question on Puthiya Tamilagam president K. Krishnasamy’s view that he was doubtful whether the NDA existed in Tamil Nadu after the exit of the AIADMK, Mr. Annamalai said it was the BJP that formed the NDA more than 25 years ago and it continued to exist.
As for the opinion among a section of AIADMK leaders that the BJP was affecting the former’s electoral performance, he said such speculation could be put to rest only by the performance of the parties in the 2024 election.
He said he was confident that Tamil Nadu would play a big role in re-electing Narendra Modi as the Prime Minister for a third term.
