Former Tamil Nadu BJP chief K Annamalai on Tuesday morning met party president Nitin Nabin and organisation secretary BL Santhosh in the national capital. This comes amid speculations that Annamalai has decided to leave the BJP and launch his own political outfit soon.
On June 2, Annamalai boarded a flight to New Delhi and was characteristically cryptic when mediapersons questioned him about the visit. “Please wait. We will sit down and talk in two days,” he said.
Insiders told NDTV that the Tamil Nadu leader has informed the party that he wishes to part ways on cordial terms and chart his own course now. Sources said that the party leadership remains hopeful to convince Annamalai to remain in the BJP, but he has already “made up his mind”.
They further claimed that the IPS officer-turned-politician does not see a future for himself in the saffron party. Moreover, it has been stated that the BJP even offered Annamalai a Rajya Sabha seat, but he has refused the offer.
According to reports, Annamalai is planning to launch a movement first, followed by a party later on. His initiative is reportedly aimed at enrolling like-minded individuals and coming up with a strong volunteer network.
Notably, Annamalai already runs a non-profit initiative – “We The Leaders” – that could serve as the foundation for his political project.
Specualtions regarding Annamalai’s political future gathered momemtum after posters came up across Coimbatore, featuring his name and the slogan: “Fearless minds gave no limits”. This prompted many to assume that he could be gearing up to launch his new political party. Interestingly, the posters were placed during a time when the saffron party convened its state central committee meeting in the city.
Annamalai remained absent from the meeting. Also, reports suggested that this was the second consecutive state central committee meeting that Annamalai skipped in recent times.
Sources told NDTV that Annamalai’s political outfit can even contest the upcoming Assembly by-elections in Tamil Nadu, which could prove to be an early test of his popularity in the state.
The BJP bagged one seat in the recently concluded 2026 Assembly elections in the state, which saw C Joseph Vijay-led TVK emerging to power.
Annamalai was appointed as the state BJP president in July 2021 and continued to hold the position until 2025, when they decided to revive the alliance with the AIADMK. During his tenure, Annamalai significantly raised the party’s visibility in the state.
The return of the alliance came after AIADMK’s Edappadi K Palaniswami is believed to have insisted on leadership changes in Tamil Nadu BJP.