Chennai: Former Tamil Nadu BJP president K. Annamalai's exit from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has reportedly been confirmed, with the former IPS officer expected to make a major political announcement in Chennai on Friday, according to a News18 report.
The development comes days after Annamalai met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi on June 2 amid growing speculation about his future in the party.
According to reports, Annamalai informed the BJP's top leadership of his decision to leave the party during his meetings in the national capital. Party leaders reportedly assured him that they would respond after holding internal discussions on the matter.
Subsequently, Annamalai is said to have formally resigned from the BJP by submitting a five-page resignation letter to the party's national leadership in New Delhi.
Soon after tendering his resignation, the former IPS officer met Amit Shah at the Union Home Minister's residence, further fuelling speculation over his next political move.
Annamalai, a former Indian Police Service officer who served in Karnataka, entered politics in 2020 at the age of 40. Hailing from Tamil Nadu's Karur district, he quickly rose through the ranks to become one of the BJP's most recognisable faces in the state.
In 2021, he was appointed president of the Tamil Nadu BJP, with the party projecting him as a young and assertive leader capable of strengthening its presence in a state traditionally dominated by Dravidian political parties.
However, political tensions emerged within the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) after the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) walked out of the alliance. AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami publicly blamed Annamalai for the breakdown of ties between the two parties.
In April 2025, Annamalai stepped down as Tamil Nadu BJP president after Amit Shah played a key role in facilitating the AIADMK's return to the NDA alliance.
With reports now indicating that his resignation from the BJP has been accepted, political attention is focused on Chennai, where Annamalai is expected to make a significant announcement on June 5 that could shape the next phase of his political career.