End of the road for Annamalai in BJP, Former Tamil Nadu BJP chief to quit party

Chennai: Former Karnataka-cadre IPS officer K Annamalai will quit the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday, bringing down the curtains on his eventful six-year tenure in the saffron party.

Annamalai will formally convey his decision to BJP President Nitin Nabin during their meeting on Tuesday, during which he will explain reasons for his resignation.

The decision by Annamalai, who was touted as the BJP’s future during his tenure as the state unit chief from 2021 to 2025, was not entirely surprising as he was upset with the saffron party for aligning with the AIADMK against his advice.

He had always believed that the BJP would grow only if it contested independently for a few elections, but electoral and political calculations forced the national leadership to revive ties with the AIADMK – an alliance that ultimately faced a drubbing.

Annamalai had expressed his displeasure to the high command over the manner in which the seat-sharing talks with the AIADMK were conducted and questioned the nature of the seats allotted to the BJP.

“Annamalai has decided to quit the BJP. He will submit his resignation on Tuesday,” a source aware of the developments told DH. “He will be in New Delhi on Tuesday to thank BJP leaders for the opportunities given to him in the past six years. It is more of a courtesy meeting,” the source added.

A senior leader said Annamalai was upset with the party over the manner in which the seat-sharing negotiations took place and the seats to be contested by the BJP decided in a day’s time was the last nail in the coffin.

“He expressed his displeasure to the High Command immediately and conveyed his intention of not contesting elections. Despite multiple rounds of talks, he stood his ground and refused to contest,” a senior leader said.

Another source said Annamalai may not rush into launching his own political party immediately as he is likely to discuss the strategy to be adopted with his supporters. “He will take a few weeks off to decide on the path to be taken. He will explain the reasons for his decision before the people and talk about his vision for Tamil Nadu,” the second source added.

The first source said Annamalai’s decision should be viewed from the prism of Tamil Nadu’s changing political landscape that has witnessed the stupendous performance of Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK) in the April 23 assembly elections.

“Politics in TN is changing completely, and one has to adapt to the emerging scenarios. And TVK’s rise shows that only native parties can grow in Tamil Nadu and will have acceptance. The space for national parties are shrinking, and it would be extremely difficult to talk the local language in a party like the BJP,” the source said.

He also believes that youngsters want politicians who speak their language and fight for their aspirations.

Annamalai has kept a low-profile since stepping down as the TN BJP chief to facilitate the party’s alliance with the AIADMK – the former IPS officer has had several run-ins with Edappadi K Palaniswami, and they don’t share a good rapport. AIADMK may have denied Singanallur for it did not want Annamalai to contest and emerge as challenger to the party in the region.

Touted as the BJP’s future in Tamil Nadu given his rapport with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Annamalai sought to reshape the BJP’s fortunes, breaking from its dependence on AIADMK, but his unfiltered style, ideological tightrope-walking, and high-stakes gambles have left him both celebrated and isolated.

Annamalai’s meteoric rise within the BJP has little parallels – he was made the president of the state unit within 11 months of his joining the party and given enormous freedom.

One of Annamalai’s biggest achievements as TN BJP chief, his supporters say, is having successfully taken the party’s flag and election symbol to all 234 assembly constituencies through his En Mann, En Makkal yatra. In the 2024 elections, he also cobbled together a broad alliance, bringing in almost all former AIADMK allies and leaders like TTV Dhinakaran.

Though the BJP failed to win a single seat under his leadership, the party posted a double-digit vote share in Tamil Nadu for the first time without the support of either the DMK or AIADMK. The alliance garnered an impressive 19 percent vote share, with the BJP alone securing 11 percent.