Annamalai floats new youth-centric movement after BJP exit, to contest next TN polls

Chennai: Former Tamil Nadu BJP chief K. Annamalai on Friday announced his departure from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and launched a new youth-focused movement, ‘We the Leaders’. He said the movement would eventually be transformed into a political party later and would contest the next Tamil Nadu Assembly elections.

In a video message, Annamalai said his decision stemmed from a desire to pursue the mission that had originally drawn him into public life. He stated that he had joined the BJP to bring positive change to Tamil Nadu and improve the lives of the people, but had now chosen a different political path.

Annamalai said he had informed the BJP leadership of his intention to leave the party in December 2025. According to him, senior leaders had requested that he remain with the party until the completion of the Tamil Nadu election process before formally stepping down. He added that he had consulted top BJP leaders before taking the final decision.

While expressing the highest respect for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Annamalai revealed that he had disagreed with the BJP on several issues over the past 18 months. He also reiterated his long-standing view that the BJP should contest the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections on its own, hinting at his differences over the tie-up with the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK).

He maintained that he did not want to become a problem for the party and therefore chose to move on.

Announcing the launch of ‘We the Leaders’, Annamalai said his new outfit would contest the upcoming elections in the state. Describing his political journey as a “solo battle”, he said he was attempting to create a new path for himself while remaining committed to Tamil Nadu’s identity and aspirations.

The former IPS officer said he wanted to walk alongside ordinary people and focus on politics centred on public welfare. He argued that national parties often fail to fully understand the sentiments and expectations of the people of Tamil Nadu.

Annamalai also launched a sharp attack on the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay, saying politics should not be confined to a single family. Declaring that there was “no place for cult and dynasty politics”, he said he was determined to move beyond personality-driven politics and build a people-centric political alternative in the state.

He further claimed that several prominent personalities, including superstar Rajinikanth, had urged him to join them politically, but he had chosen to chart his own course.

Annamalai had resigned from the BJP, and the party’s national president Nitin Nabin on Friday accepted the resignation from the primary membership of the party. His announcement has further fuelled expectations that the former IPS officer may finally reveal his next political move after several days of speculation about a possible departure from the BJP.

Ahead of the Tamil Nadu assembly elections this year, Annamalai had quit the party positions over the BJP’s move for a pre-poll alliance with the AIADMK in the state. Despite quitting the party positions, he had taken part in the campaigning of the party in the assembly polls.

A former Karnataka cadre IPS officer, Annamalai, resigned from the Indian Police Service in 2019 before entering politics. Inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in 2020 and quickly rose through the ranks. Within a year, he was appointed Tamil Nadu BJP president, becoming one of the youngest state chiefs in the party and a prominent face of its expansion efforts in the state.

IANS