Kuppusamy Annamalai had a stellar career as an IPS officer in Karnataka with stints in Udupi, Chikmagalur, and Bengaluru earning the sobriquet ‘Singham’ (Lion) before he hung his khaki uniform in 2019.
Relocating to his village in Karur district of Tamil Nadu to take up “organic farming” after his resignation, Annamalai, who says his 2018 yatra to Kailash Mansarovar helped him prioritize things in life, was groomed to be the CM candidate of Tamil superstar Rajinikanth’s party, which never saw the light of the day.
With Rajinikanth dithering, he joined the BJP. Annamalai’s aggressive nature, taking head on the Dravidian parties, and galvanizing party cadres made him a favourite in the BJP, which sees him as its future in Tamil Nadu, a state where it still lacks popular support.
Annamalai’s ascension in the BJP was meteoric, he was made state unit chief within 10 months of joining the party. Winning the confidence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Minister Amit Shah, Annamalai has taken the BJP flag and symbol to all 234 assembly constituencies in the state through his ‘En Mann, En Makkal’ yatra.
Annamalai, who lost the assembly elections from his native seat of Aravakurichi, is testing electoral waters once again from Coimbatore, a constituency dominated by Gounders, the caste to which he belongs.
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Published 18 April 2024, 15:56 IST