Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, June 1: In a rare instance of movement in the reverse direction in the recent past, the former Tamil Nadu chief of the BJP K Annamalai, is almost certain to quit the saffron party and form his own party in the state.
Mr Annamalai is learnt to have told his close associates that he did not see any opportunity and future for him in the BJP and is likely to quit after a meeting with party chief Nitin Nabin in New Delhi on Tuesday. The development comes nearly a month after the Tamil Nadu polls, where the BJP won just one seat in the 234-member House.
“Please wait. We will sit down and talk in two days,” Annamalai told a posse of reporters as he arrived at Chennai airport to catch a flight to Delhi. Unlikely in the past, the vehicle in which he arrived at the airport did not display a BJP flag.
“Annamalai feels there is no opportunity and future for him in the BJP,” a source said explaining the reasons behind his reported decision. The 41-year-old, IPS officer-turned-politician, was offered a Rajya Sabha seat, but Annamalai is learnt to have refused the offer.
According to speculations, Annamalai could launch his political outfit on his birthday on June 4. Posters featuring slogans like “Our Leader, Come and Lead Us” have surfaced in Madurai and Coimbatore portraying him in a ‘2.0 avatar’ ahead of Annamalai’s birthday on June 4, which left people pondering that Annamalai could part ways with the BJP.
The former Indian Police Service (IPS) officer had earlier openly questioned the central government over the three-language policy. His X post, in which appealed to the Union Ministry of Education to revoke the policy, had fuelled speculations that he was unhappy with the BJP. Annamalai was the BJP’s star face in Tamil Nadu during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. But despite his intense campaigning the party had failed to win even a single seat in the parliamentary polls.
It was because of Annamalai that the BJP and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) had parted ways. However, before the 2026 Tamil Nadu assembly elections, the AIADMK returned to National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and Annamalai was removed as BJP’s state unit chief.
Reportedly, AIADMK had put forth this condition that Annamalai should be removed from Tamil Nadu BJP chief’s position. Annamalai had also stayed away from actively participating in the campaigning and didn’t contest the Tamil Nadu elections in which the BJP-AIADMK alliance failed.
Sources said Annamalai was likely to launch a movement first and a party later. The initiative is aimed at enrolling like-minded individuals and building a strong volunteer network. The new movement is expected to operate on a larger scale and seek to attract volunteers from diverse professional and social backgrounds.
He already runs a non-profit leadership initiative called “We The Leaders”, which may serve as the foundation for his larger political project. Sources say the political outfit he eventually launches could contest upcoming Assembly by-elections in Tamil Nadu, providing an early test of his personal popularity and organisational strength.
In a recent sign of his growing independence, Annamalai publicly criticised the Centre over what he described as the premature implementation of the three-language policy by the CBSE, arguing that it was causing hardship for students before the policy’s scheduled rollout in the 2029-30 academic year.
An engineer by qualification, Annamalai also has an MBA from IIM Lucknow. After clearing the Civil Services Exam, he chose the Indian Police Service. As an IPS officer in Karnataka, he earned the nickname “Singham” for his policing style.
Inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he resigned from the civil services and joined the BJP in 2020. He was immediately appointed a state vice-president and was elevated as Tamil Nadu BJP chief after his predecessor L Murugan became a Union Minister.
During his tenure as state chief, Annamalai significantly raised the BJP’s visibility in Tamil Nadu, a state traditionally dominated by the Dravidian majors. Through aggressive campaigns, extensive grassroots tours and social media outreach, he helped expand the party’s organisational footprint and built a substantial personal following.
Annamalai had favoured the BJP contesting the state polls independently, banking on the momentum he believed the party had built in recent years. The BJP leadership, however, revived its alliance with the AIADMK, a move widely seen as a strategic decision to consolidate opposition votes against the ruling DMK.
