Tamil Nadu BJP on Saturday dismissed speculation surrounding former state BJP chief K Annamalai’s new political move, asserting that his independent political outfit does not have the blessings of Prime Minister Narendra Modi or Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
After Annamalai quit the BJP and floated a new party, several political observers argued that the outfit could function as a proxy for the BJP, which has struggled to make major electoral inroads in Tamil Nadu on its own. Many also claimed that Annamalai continued to enjoy the support of the BJP brass and could align with the party in the future if his new outfit gains traction in the southern state.
Rejecting such claims, Tamil Nadu BJP president Nainar Nagendran said, “Annamalai does not have the blessings of Modi or Amit Shah to start his own political movement, as claimed by many”. He added, “Nobody who has left the BJP has succeeded on their own”.
“My request to BJP cadre is not to believe such claims and leave the party. There is no setback to the BJP. This is the world’s biggest party,” he said.
Following Annamalai’s exit, two more senior leaders — state vice-president Karu Nagarajan and state secretary Sumathi Venkatesh — also quit the party, along with several reported defections at the lower levels.
Reacting to Annamalai’s resignation on Friday, Nagendran had said the move would not affect the BJP and that everyone was free to launch a political party in a democracy.
“There will be no loss to the BJP because of his resignation. There will be no setback to the BJP, which is the biggest party in the world. The party will remain steadfast in its ideology,” Nagendran said.
Annamalai, a former IPS officer who was associated with the BJP for around six years and significantly boosted the party’s visibility in Tamil Nadu during his tenure as state president, said on Friday that he had “quit the BJP in a dignified manner to usher in a new kind of politics”.
“The goals are bigger and more people have to be taken along. From today onwards, there will be a new path, a new movement, a new political force,” he said, adding that his new party would contest the next Assembly elections in the state.
Before announcing his exit from the saffron party and launching his new outfit, Annamalai had met senior BJP leaders, including Amit Shah, in Delhi.
During his tenure as Tamil Nadu BJP chief, Annamalai gained prominence for his aggressive political style, relentlessly targeting the DMK and releasing what he called the “DMK Files”, alleging corruption in the ruling party.
However, he also courted controversy. The AIADMK strongly objected after Annamalai allegedly made remarks against late former chief minister J Jayalalithaa over her conviction in a corruption case. He also triggered a row by alleging that Dravidian stalwart CN Annadurai had insulted Hinduism during an event in Madurai in 1956.
The tensions eventually led the AIADMK to snap ties with the BJP in September 2023 ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
After the AIADMK and BJP revived their alliance, Nainar Nagendran was appointed Tamil Nadu BJP chief in April 2025, replacing Annamalai.
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