K Annamalai, the BJP’s candidate from the Coimbatore Lok Sabha seat, was defeated by the DMK’s Raj Kumar by a margin of 1,18,068 votes.

Following the DMK-led alliance’s clean sweep in all 39 Lok Sabha seats in Tamil Nadu, a heated exchange erupted between the AIADMK and the BJP, former allies who had parted ways before the election.

It was started by BJP state president Annamalai who mocked the AIADMK saying it was relegated to third place in a dozen constituencies, where the BJP or its allies secured second place, which was a victory for his party.

Annamalai even declared that AIADMK had been rejected by the people and ruled out the possibility of an alliance with the primary Dravidian party in the 2026 assembly election, provided he remained in charge.

Annamalai, the BJP’s candidate from the Coimbatore Lok Sabha seat, was defeated by the DMK’s Raj Kumar by a margin of 1,18,068 votes.

Former AIADMK minister RB Udhayakumar responded by blaming Annamalai for the disappointing performance of both parties. He said if Annamalai had been more restrained, the results would have been better. Calling him inexperience the AIADMK leader said if Annamalai had followed the example of his predecessors and been more circumspect, even BJP leaders in Delhi wouldn’t be facing such challenges.

“His wrong move made BJP short of a simple majority in Delhi,” said Udhayakumar, an influential figure in Madurai, where the AIADMK was pushed to third place.

Accusing Annamalai of causing a rift between the AIADMK and BJP, Udhayakumar said, “He attacked us when we were in opposition, failing to distinguish between friend and foe.”

In Coimbatore, another AIADMK heavyweight and former minister, SP Velumani expressed confidence that an AIADMK-BJP alliance could have won 30-35 seats in the Lok Sabha elections. He too blamed Annamalai for the split.

“Our ties with the BJP were strong when Tamilisai Soundararajan and L Murugan were heading the party in Tamil Nadu,” Velumani was quoted as saying by Indian Express, adding, “The rift came after he (Annamalai) took charge, because of his speeches. He made derogatory remarks about our icons, C N Annadurai and J Jayalalithaa.”

Velumani also noted that Annamalai spoke disrespectfully about AIADMK founder M G Ramachandran and current party chief Edappadi K Palaniswami.

Responding to criticism from the AIADMK, Annamalai remarked, “AIADMK leaders claimed they lost seats in 2019 because of the BJP and would gain more in 2024 after parting ways with us. This indicates internal conflict between Velumani and AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami.”

“The same AIADMK is saying now that there would have been better results if they were in the NDA alliance. They called the BJP NOTA party. Treated us badly. Dictated we remain silent with five seats in 2019. They forbade us from holding the BJP flag in campaigns. Now, they claim we would have won all seats if we were together. Why did it take so long for them to realise this? The results were a punishment for AIADMK’s bad behaviour,” Annamalai said.

However, several leaders within the BJP believe that Annamalai’s “miscalculated” strategies, which led to the AIADMK breaking ties with the BJP, cost them significantly. They argue that an alliance with the AIADMK for the Lok Sabha polls could have been a game-changer, potentially boosting Narendra Modi’s overall tally, which is currently below the majority mark.

“The unilateral decision of the leadership not to align with AIADMK has backfired on us,” a senior BJP leader said.

BJP state intellectual cell in-charge Kalyan Raman took to X to accuse Annamalai of trying to mislead the central leadership “as usual.” He described the results as a “significant loss of face in the public eye, poor perception management, and a pathetic political misadventure.”