Former IPS officer K Annamalai was on Saturday appointed as vice president of the Tamil Nadu unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), days after he joined the saffron outfit. With Annamalai’s appointment, the state unit now has 11 vice presidents.
Annamalai’s appointment came hours after he met state BJP President L Murugan, who has been at the helm of the party since March this year. The former IPS officer, who quit his service in 2019, joined the BJP in New Delhi on August 25.
The former IPS officer was inducted into the party as the BJP makes a concerted effort to project it as an alternative to the Dravidian political parties in Tamil Nadu. The BJP has embarked on a major recruitment drive in the state which goes to crucial assembly elections in May next year.
After joining BJP, Annamalai had told DH that he chose BJP as he was a nationalist. “I wanted to be myself and bring about a social change, but I have realised that a political change is also necessary. Especially for a state like Tamil Nadu which needs a different path now. I have always maintained that I admire Narendra Modi and keeping all these in mind, I thought BJP was the best choice,” he had said.
Published 29 August 2020, 15:03 IST