AIADMK leader SP Velumani attributed the party's disappointing performance in the recent Lok Sabha elections in Tamil Nadu to the actions of BJP's state chief, K Annamalai. Velumani claimed that if it weren't for Annamalai, the AIADMK-NDA alliance would have won 35 seats.
In a press briefing, Velumani emphasized that the AIADMK managed to increase its vote share from 19.39% in 2019 to 20.3% in 2024. However, the party's decision to part ways with the NDA was driven by Annamalai's alleged disrespect towards the legacies of AIADMK stalwarts, Anna and Jayalalithaa.
Velumani criticized Annamalai, stating that while the AIADMK had previously maintained a cooperative alliance with the BJP under leaders like Tamilisai Soundararajan and L Murugan, Annamalai's continuous criticism of AIADMK leaders, including Jayalalithaa, Anna, and Edapadi K. Palanisamy, forced the AIADMK to sever ties with the NDA. He asserted that had the alliance continued, the AIADMK would have secured 35 seats.
Annamalai himself faced a significant defeat, losing to DMK's Ganapathy Rajkumar by over 1 lakh votes. Unlike the last election, where the AIADMK secured one seat, this time the party was defeated in all 39 constituencies. The AIADMK, once a dominant force, has now been relegated to third place in 12 key constituencies, with the BJP-led NDA coming in second behind the DMK in nine of these seats.
