Annamalai Finally Quits BJP, Launches his “Political Movement” Inspired by APJ Ideals

Manas Dasgupta

NEW DELHI, June 5: The BJP Tamil Nadu unit’s denial notwithstanding, the party’s former state president and its most recognisable face in the southern state K Annamalai has formally ended his association with the saffron party and on Friday announced the launch of a “political movement,” which is heavily inspired by the ideals promoted by former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, signalling the beginning of an independent political journey.

The former IPS officer said the initiative would eventually evolve into a political party that would contest future elections in Tamil Nadu, while advocating a shift away from personality-centric politics towards what he described as “common-man politics.” “I have submitted my resignation. From today, a new journey begins. I will be launching a new political movement, and I seek the support of all of you in this endeavour,” Annamalai said.

A few hours before his announcement, the BJP said its national president Nitin Nabin accepted his resignation from the primary membership of the party. “The National President of the Bharatiya Janata Party, Hon’ble Shri Nitin Nabin, has accepted the resignation submitted by the Tamil Nadu Ex. State President, Shri K. Annamalai from the primary membership of the Party,” the BJP said in a statement on Friday.

The 41-year-old leader flew down to Delhi, met party chief Nitin Nabin on Tuesday and said he wanted to end the partnership on “cordial terms.” A meeting with Amit Shah and BL Santosh, the man credited with spotting the talent in Annamalai, followed. The party asked him to wait.

Backroom negotiations followed. Tamil Nadu BJP chief Nainar Nagendran, who succeeded Annamalai, was called to Delhi on Thursday. Another round of talks began. The resignation was finally accepted on Friday.

The Tamil Nadu BJP chief appeared confident, declaring that Annamalai’s resignation was “no loss” for the party. “There is no loss for the BJP. The BJP is a big party in the world,” the state BJP chief said when asked about the resignation.

The Andhra Pradesh BJP chief, however, reacted to his resignation differently. He hoped that Annamalai would come back to the party at some stage in future. “Annamalai has been an important part in our party. This is a small setback. Definitely, he will come back that’s the hope we have. The kind of activity he has done in Tamil Nadu, and we will be seeing that he will come back and participate in the party in the days to come,” said Andhra Pradesh BJP Chief PVN Madhav.

Sharing his idea of the new political movement through social media platforms, Mr Annamalai said it would eventually evolve into a political party at the right time, with its functionaries trained at Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Centre for Ethics and Politics in Coimbatore. All of its functionaries will be trained in the centre before they contest in any election, he said.

Mr Annamalai said there were several “issues” in the BJP which were flagged to the national leadership “patiently” over several months before his resignation. He did not wish to become yet another issue for the party leadership. Though he conveyed his decision to part ways with the BJP on December 4 last year, Mr Annamalai said he accepted the party’s request to stay on till the completion of the Tamil Nadu Assembly election till May 2026.

The former IPS officer said he continued to respect BJP leader and Prime Minister Narendra Modi but still chose to disagree with him on certain issues with courage. He chose to meet the BJP leader and the union home minister Amit Shah to convey his decision “eye to eye.” Maintaining that he has “no animosity against the BJP,” Mr Annamalai said he would look at the BJP just like how he saw other parties such as the DMK, AIADMK and other political leaders.

Even as he sought time from his supporters for his political movement to evolve into a political party, Mr Annamalai said there was “no doubt that it will face the next general election” in Tamil Nadu. Sharing his ideas for his new political movement, Mr Annamalai said the new initiative aimed at being inclusive of Gen Z, Gen Alpha, as well as the elderly. He, however, warned the initiative “will not be yet another cult movement.”

The political grammar and the political language needs a change, Mr Annamalai contended and further advocated that there was indeed space for a new political party in Tamil Nadu. “We will have to come out of cult politics. This will be common man politics, there will be no compromise on principle,” he said. He further underlined that there was a need for a “term limit” for elected representatives and “there could not be permanent MPs, MLAs, or Ministers.”

Advocating for “clean politics” with efficient and capable leaders, Mr Annamalai said “no chair is permanent for anybody” and that the movement should “flow like water” and the “movement should stand beyond us.” His idea of the new political movement needs time to evolve, he said. Mr Annamalai also appealed to his supporters to act responsibly on social media.

In his resignation letter, Annamalai praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership but indicated that his vision for Tamil Nadu had increasingly diverged from that of the BJP’s central leadership. He said after numerous discussions with senior party leaders and months of differences over the political direction required in Tamil Nadu, he had concluded that their perspectives on the state’s future were no longer aligned. Annamalai added that he did not wish to continue pressing his views on what he described as a development-oriented and culturally rooted political approach for Tamil Nadu.

In his resignation letter Annamalai said “national parties never spoke the language that people in Tamil Nadu understood.” “I have tried to change this belief and also found reasonable success despite multiple roadblocks, barriers and obstructions from both inside and outside,” he said in his letter dated June 2, and thanked the senior leadership of the BJP for unwavering support.

The outgoing leader said he expressed his “disagreements” with the top BJP leadership over the last 18 months before deciding to cut ties with the party. “I do not want to burden the top leadership any further with my ongoing thoughts on the way forward for a growth-oriented and culturally rooted politics in Tamil Nadu. After my conversation with our senior leadership, I have come to the conclusion that our views don’t align regarding Tamil Nadu,” Annamalai said in his resignation letter.

“After much thought, I believe the time has come for me to step out of the party, reflect on the actual purpose of my entering politics, and sail where the winds take me in future,” he said further. An “unabashed” fan of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he resigned from the civil services and joined the BJP in 2020. Within weeks, he was appointed the state vice president. A year later, the BJP elevated him to the state unit chief. He was 37 at the time.

His stock continued to rise as the party even made him the election co-in-charge during the 2023 Karnataka Assembly elections, which the BJP went on to lose. Differences reportedly widened after the BJP revived its alliance with the AIADMK ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections. Sources say Annamalai had favoured the BJP contesting independently to expand its political base, but the central leadership had other plans.