Ex-IPS officer and DCP in Bengaluru, K Annamalai joined the Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday, August 25. Dr Sudhakar, the medical education minister in Karnataka welcomed him to the party on Tuesday morning.
K Annamalai has been a well-respected and renowned officer, his service won him the title 'Singham'. After he quit the force in May 2019, there has been much discussion about his entry into politics.
K Annamalai joins BJP
Having won hearts in Karnataka after his service in the state, in Udupi and Bengaluru, now the police officer will be entering the political landscape. K Annamalai previously served as Superintendent of Police in Udupi and Deputy Commissioner of Police in Bengaluru South.
Originally belonging to Karur, Tamil Nadu, the officer quit the force in May 2019. His entry into politics was speculated. On 25th August, Annamalai Kuppusamy will be joining the BJP at the party headquarters in Delhi at 1 pm. He will be joining in the presence of General Secretary P Muralidhar Rao and Tamil Nadu BJP President L Murugan.
His entry into the party comes ahead of the 2021 Assembly elections in Tamil Nadu. Earlier in May 2020 during a Facebook live session, K Annamalai had expressed his interest in contesting the upcoming elections. During the session, he had said, he would be contesting in the elections. As to why he had said, "The reason is, I believe I can make a difference. I have trust that I can make a difference to the Tamil Nadu politics. We need to change the political system to create an environment that will officers to function within."
His reputation on the force and his views have made him a likely CM candidate in the minds of the people. Moreover, he was previously also expected to join Rajinikanth's political party, however, those speculations can now be put to rest. In fact, the debate has already begun online, ever since his joining the party was announced. However, it should be said that no such confirmation has been issued by the party or K Annamalai himself.
Since then the anticipation of his joining a specific party has been building. In his new beginning as a politician, he will be working out of Coimbatore or Chennai, The News Minute reported. He has often expressed that he has admired PM Modi's work in his interviews. Speaking to the Deccan Herald on his joining BJP he said, "I believe that BJP as a party is kind of misrepresented or wrongly represented in Tamil Nadu. The party is not exactly how it is perceived in Tamil Nadu."
It will be interesting to see the changes K Annamalai brings to Tamil Nadu upon entering the political ring.
