Former Tamil Nadu BJP chief K. Annamalai is likely to announce his exit from the Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday and launch a people's movement, according to sources familiar with the development.
Annamalai, a former IPS officer who emerged as the BJP's most prominent face in Tamil Nadu in recent years, is expected to arrive in New Delhi on Monday evening for discussions before making a formal announcement.
Sources close to the leader said he believes Tamil Nadu's political landscape has undergone a significant transformation with the emergence of actor-politician Vijay as a major political force.
“There is no leader to fight Vijay today. The Dravidian era is over. Politics centred on language issues alone will no longer work. The politics of the state has changed,” a source familiar with the discussions was quoted as saying.
According to sources, Annamalai is keen to ensure an "amicable" separation from the BJP and does not want his departure to trigger a public confrontation with the party leadership.
Also read: Annamalai alleges vote-buying, transport lapses in TN elections
The development comes nearly a year after Annamalai was replaced as the Tamil Nadu BJP chief as part of the party's efforts to recalibrate its strategy ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections. He was succeeded by Nainar Nagendran following a rapprochement between the BJP and its ally, the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam.
Annamalai's tenure was marked by an aggressive political style that often put him at odds with AIADMK leaders. His criticism of senior AIADMK figures and party icons, including former chief minister J. Jayalalithaa, contributed to strains within the alliance before its collapse in 2023.
The BJP later revived ties with the AIADMK, with Union Home Minister Amit Shah playing a key role in bringing the regional party back into the NDA fold.
Political observers have also pointed to Annamalai's recent criticism of the implementation of the CBSE three-language policy as a rare public divergence from the BJP's national position.
Sources indicated that Annamalai is likely to begin with a mass outreach platform or people's movement, though it remains unclear whether it will eventually evolve into a political party.
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