Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, June 3: Ending the months of speculations over his future plans, the former Tamil Nadu BJP president K. Annamalai on Wednesday officially resigned from the party and is now expected to launch a new regional “political movement” that would eventually be converted into a regional political party.
Mr Annamalai submitted a five-page resignation letter to BJP national president Nitin Nabin in New Delhi. He tendered his resignation after holding meetings with top party leadership, including Mr Nabin, the Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and party general secretary B.L. Santhosh, He remained firm on his decision to leave the party, the sources said. Mr Annamalai is expected to announce his future plans soon.
His departure was reportedly triggered by ideological and strategic differences with the national leadership. Annamalai aimed to build the party’s independent organizational strength in Tamil Nadu without relying on traditional Dravidian alliances (such as with the AIADMK), whereas the national leadership favoured coalitions to defeat the DMK.
Sources indicate Annamalai intends to launch a regional political movement or outfit, which may utilize a phrase popularized by actor Rajinikanth. Despite parting ways with the BJP, Annamalai has reportedly met with senior RSS leadership to ensure his separation remains amicable and to seek backing for his youth-oriented, nationalist-Hindu movement.
The former Karnataka-cadre IPS officer joined the BJP in August 2020. He headed the BJP’s Tamil Nadu unit from July 16, 2021, to April 11, 2025, when Nainar Nagenthran replaced him.
A mechanical engineering and an MBA graduate, Mr Annamalai cleared the civil services and joined the police force in Karnataka in 2011. His first stint was as Additional Superintendent of Police, Karkala, before he was promoted SP, Udupi. In 2018, Mr Annamalai was transferred as SP, Ramanagara district. He was transferred to Bengaluru soon after the B.S. Yediyurappa-led BJP government took over, to head Bengaluru South division, where he served till May 2019 before his resignation. Soon after resigning, he had said he wanted to serve the public and correct inefficiencies in the system.
Mr Annamalai had unsuccessfully contested from Aravakurichi in the 2021 Tamil Nadu Assembly election and from Coimbatore in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. He did not contest the recent Assembly election and had identified himself as an “ordinary karyakarta” of the party.
Mr Annamalai, who always favoured the BJP going alone in Tamil Nadu and slowly build its base in the southern state, had conveyed to the party national leadership his “extreme” displeasure over the constituencies allocated for the national party by the AIADMK in the just-concluded Assembly elections.
Mr Annamalai was dissatisfied with the BJP having been asked for its preferred seats only after the AIADMK finalised constituencies for two others allies. He told the leadership that the BJP’s choices and prospects were “limited” by the condition that it could not seek seats represented by AIADMK MLAs. The constituencies allotted to the BJP were not those where the party was growing or supposed to grow, the sources quoted Mr Annamalai as having said in his message. The BJP being offered constituencies like Tiruvannamalai would only be advantageous to the ruling DMK, he had said.