NEW DELHI: Hours after Bharatiya Janata Party left K Annamalai from the candidates list for the upcoming elections, party MP from Karnataka Tejasvi Surya on Friday described the former Tamil Nadu BJP chief as the “most popular leader”, claiming that the party has made him responsible for campaigning for all candidates.While campaigning at for the BJP in poll-bound Kerala, Surya said, “Annamalai is the most popular leader of the BJP, not just in Tamil Nadu, but he commands a large following all over the country. He has been given the responsibility of campaigning for all the candidates in Tamil Nadu.”“Even today, he is in Keralam where he enjoys a great following. He is also campaigning in Puducherry, where people are crazy about him. I am extremely confident that Annamalai’s popularity and his campaign all across Tamil Nadu will translate into victory for the BJP candidates all across the state,” he added.Earlier in the day, BJP released its list of 27 candidates for the upcoming Tamil Nadu assembly elections after negotiations within the NDA alliance.While senior leaders like Tamilisai Soundararajan (Mylapore), Vanathi Srinivasan (Coimbatore North), and Union Minister L. Murugan (Avinashi) have been fielded, Annamalai’s name is nowhere to be found on the list.However, K Annamalai said that he will continue to campaign for the upcoming assembly polls despite being absent from the party’s candidate list in Tamil Nadu, calling it his “responsibility.”Speaking with the mediapersons in Keralam’s Kannur after a public meeting here, Annamalai described campaigning in Puducherry, Kerala and Tamil Nadu for the BJP as his “role” in the upcoming elections.“In this election, my role is to campaign for candidates across 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 BJP and NDA candidates across Tamil Nadu. That is the responsibility given by the party to me. I’ll be fulfilling that responsibility,” he said.Notably, Annamalai, the former IPS officer, is a key figure in the party’s aggressive expansion strategy in South India. He’s often seen as a direct representative of PM Narendra Modi’s vision, frequently appearing alongside him at major rallies.Tamil Nadu will go to the polls in a single phase on April 23, covering a total of 234 constituencies in the State. Counting of votes is scheduled for May 4.