New Delhi: Hours after the Bharatiya Janata Party dropped K Annamalai from the list of candidates for the upcoming elections, the party MP from Karnataka stunning surya on Friday described the former Tamil Nadu BJP chief as the “most popular leader” and claimed that the party has made him responsible for campaigning for all the candidates.Campaigning for the BJP in poll-bound Kerala, Surya said, “Annamalai is the most popular leader of the BJP, he has huge supporters not only in Tamil Nadu, but across the country. He has been given the responsibility to campaign for all the candidates in Tamil Nadu.”“Even today, he is in Keralam where he has a huge following. He is also campaigning in Puducherry, where people are crazy about him. I am confident that Annamalai’s popularity across Tamil Nadu and her campaign will translate into victory for BJP candidates across the state.”Earlier in the day, the BJP released its list of 27 candidates for the upcoming Tamil Nadu Assembly elections after talks within the NDA alliance.While Tamilisai Sundararajan (Mylapore), Vanathi Srinivasan (Coimbatore North), and Union Minister L. While senior leaders like Murugan (Avinashi) have been fielded, Annamalai’s name is nowhere in the list.However, K Annamalai termed it his “responsibility” and said that he would continue to campaign for the upcoming assembly elections despite being absent from the party’s list of candidates in Tamil Nadu.Speaking to media persons after a public meeting in Kannur, Kerala, Annamalai described campaigning in Puducherry, Kerala and Tamil Nadu as his “role” for the BJP in the upcoming elections.He said, “In this election, my role is to campaign for the candidates all over Tamil Nadu. Right now, the party has given me the responsibility to campaign in Puducherry and Kerala till the 7th (April). From the 7th to the 23rd, I have to campaign for all the BJP and NDA candidates across Tamil Nadu. The party has given me this responsibility. I will fulfill that responsibility.”It is noteworthy that former IPS officer Annamalai is a key figure in the party’s aggressive expansion strategy in South India. He is often seen as a direct representative of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision, often appearing with him at major rallies.A total of 234 constituencies in the state will go to polls in a single phase on April 23 in Tamil Nadu. Counting of votes is to take place on May 4.