K Annamalai's new political movement draws nearly 14 lakh sign-ups in 24 hours
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Former Tamil Nadu BJP chief K Annamalai's newly launched political movement has attracted nearly 14 lakh members within 24 hours of his departure from the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Annamalai formally resigned from the BJP on June 5, with party chief Nitin Nabin later accepting his resignation. In his resignation letter, the former Indian Police Service officer cited disagreements with the party leadership over the direction of politics in Tamil Nadu.
"I have come to the conclusion that our views don't align regarding Tamil Nadu," Annamalai wrote, referring to discussions with the BJP's senior leadership over the past 18 months.
Soon after his exit, Annamalai announced the launch of a new political movement, describing it as the next phase of his public and political journey. Calling for greater participation by ordinary citizens and young people, he said the initiative would promote "people-centric politics" and challenge the culture of "permanent MLAs and MPs".
Annamalai said the movement would focus on "common people's politics with ideological clarity" and work to end what he described as cult politics and dynastic leadership. He added that the movement would be built gradually and would require patience and composure.
The movement's website, titled "We The Leaders", recorded 13,85,763 active members at the time of writing. The platform encourages volunteers to participate in grassroots initiatives across areas such as education, health, environment, and youth leadership.
Annamalai also confirmed that the movement plans to contest the next Lok Sabha elections in Tamil Nadu. He said it aims to create opportunities for new leaders and make politics more accessible to ordinary people.
Annamalai joined the BJP in 2020 after leaving the civil services. Within weeks, he was appointed a state vice president and became the party's Tamil Nadu chief a year later at the age of 37.