"We are growing, goal set for 2026": Annamalai after BJP's defeat in Tamil Nadu

Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], June 5 (ANI): After BJP was left with zero seats in the Lok Sabha elections in Tamil nadu, State BJP president K Annamalai said that the party is preparing for the 2026 assembly elections.
The next election to the 234-member assembly in Tamil Nadu is expected to be held in April-May 2026.
Annamalai expressed happiness about the party's improved vote share in the state and said the party is "growing." He also highlighted the lotus symbol's performance in 23 out of 39 seats, calling it a significant milestone for the BJP in the state.
"We are growing. Our vote share has improved, and we are very happy with that, it has reached double digits, which is very important in politics. This is very important for us," Annamalai said in a press conference on Wednesday.
"In 20 years, many parts of Tamil Nadu voted for the lotus for the first time. We could not send an MP to Delhi. We are not very happy with this. We will find a way to fix it. And next time, not only increase the voting percentage but also send MPs to Parliament. We have fixed our goal to form a government in 2026 in Tamil Nadu. We see this as our goal," he added.
He also expressed confidence in Prime Minister Narendra Modi returning to power for the third consecutive term.
"Narendra Modi ji is coming back to power for the third consecutive time. And if you look at the democratic system of India, we all know how difficult it is to form a government for the third consecutive time. With respect to the state of Tamil Nadu, every election is a lesson," he said.
On DMK leader K Kanimozhi's remarks on his defeat, Annamalai said, "My father's name is Kuppusamy, not Karunanidhi. My father is not a six-time MLA and my father is a farmer. So it will take time to win in politics."
Annamalai lost to DMK's Ganapathy Rajkumar by a margin of over 1 lakh votes in the Coimbatore Lok Sabha constituency. The BJP chief managed to garner 4 lakh votes in the seat which witnessed a triangular fight between the Dravidian majors and the BJP. All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam's candidate Singai G Ramachandran was pushed to the third position.
As per the Election Commission of India (ECI) data, the DMK won 22 out of the 39 seats in Tamil Nadu while the BJP was left with nil.
The seat position of the DMK allies as per the ECI data are Congress (9), Communist Party of India (2), Communist Party of India - Marxist (2), Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (2), Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and Indian Union Muslim League one each. (ANI)