Former Tamil Nadu BJP president K Annamalai reversed his support for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in May 2026, after a public debate with Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, where he had defended the process as fair and necessary.
Annamalai had overseen the BJP’s SIR effort across several states and had repeatedly claimed that Tamil Nadu contained a large number of fake voters that needed removal.
In a post on X, BJP spokesperson Narayanan Thirupathy slammed the former party chief, stating that while inside BJP he championed SIR and attacked the DMK for opposing it, now he has flipped to support the Cockroach Janta Party’s (CJP) criticisms of the same review.
Annamalai’s new stance includes calling the Delhi Police a “real disservice” for its crackdown on CJP members, accusing them of unfair arrests, and saying that keeping activists behind bars would only boost their popularity.
Thirupathy highlighted Annamalai’s background as a former IPS officer, arguing that such experience should make him wary of criticizing police action from the outside.
SIR has been a flashpoint in Tamil Nadu politics, with BJP claiming it cleanses the electoral roll while opposition parties accuse it of targeting voters from rival communities.
Annamalai’s flip has triggered immediate backlash from BJP leadership, who now threaten to ban him from party events and are convening an internal review of his conduct.
The next hearing is scheduled for early November, when the BJP’s disciplinary committee will decide whether Annamalai’s departure from the party will be formally sanctioned.