Lok Sabha polls: Tamil Nadu BJP chief Annamalai casts vote, counters DMK's 'money' charge

Reacting to DMK's allegation that the BJP is spending money in the elections, Annamalai told the media, "I am running this election as a matter of principle, like a will. If their Intelligence, Tamil Nadu Police, DMK, AIADMK - what they are doing in Coimbatore, everybody is seeing. They are spending more than Rs 1,000 Crores in Coimbatore.

"If they can bring one voter and make them stand in front of the media and say that some BJP guy tried to influence them, I will leave politics the same day... it's an open challenge to all the Dravidian parties."

The BJP has decided to go solo in this Lok Sabha election in Tamil Nadu, ditching its alliance with the AIADMK in the Dravidian-party-dominated southern state.

Former IPS officer K Annamalai is leading the charge for the party in the state where its performance has been dismal so far.

Under Annamalai’s leadership, the party has decided to contest for 23 seats without any alliance support, marking a big shift from its past strategies which saw the party mainly in a supporting role for the Dravidian parties - DMK and AIADMK.

BJP feels it is ready to disrupt the existing political equation in Tamil Nadu and attract voters on its own merit.

Annamalai is contesting from Coimbatore, the seat with the third highest number of voters in Tamil Nadu.

Giving a push to the BJP in the southern state, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Tamil Nadu on a number of occasions in the run up to the Lok Sabha polls.