Is the BJP-Annamalai separation sealed? The former Tamil Nadu BJP chief on Tuesday morning met party president Nitin Nabin and organisation secretary BL Santhosh. The meeting came in the wake of a strong buzz around Annamalai’s planned exit from the BJP.
Sources told NDTV that Annamalai has told the party brass that he wants to chart his own course now and that he wishes to part ways on cordial terms.
NDTV has learnt that the party leadership is still hoping to convince Annamalai to stay, but according to sources he has made up his mind.
Sources close to the IPS officer-turned-politician, told NDTV that he doesn’t see a future for himself in the BJP.
NDTV has learnt that Annamalai was offered a Rajya Sabha seat, but he has refused the offer.
Sources say the politician is likely to launch a movement first and a party later. The initiative, multiple sources say, 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.
The development comes nearly a month after the Tamil Nadu polls, where the BJP won just one seat in the 234-member House.
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.
The return of the alliance came after AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami reportedly insisted on leadership changes within the Tamil Nadu BJP, leading to Annamalai being replaced as state president.
Fuelling speculation that he was being sidelined within the party, Annamalai neither contested the 2026 Assembly election nor played a prominent role in the BJP campaign.