TN: Annamalai likely to quit BJP, may launch own party
text_fields
Chennai: Amid growing speculation that he is unhappy within the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and may be planning to launch a new political outfit, senior Tamil Nadu BJP leader K. Annamalai on Monday said he would make his position clear within the next two days.
Speaking to reporters at Chennai airport before departing for Delhi, Annamalai declined to directly address reports suggesting that he was preparing to quit the BJP and float a separate party. Instead, he urged patience, saying he would soon clarify his stand.
“Please wait. We will sit down and talk in two days,” he said when questioned about the speculation surrounding his political future and reports that he was travelling to the national capital to meet BJP state in-charge Nitin Nabin.
Rumours about a possible rift between Annamalai and the party leadership intensified after he publicly opposed the Central Board of Secondary Education's (CBSE) decision to implement the three-language policy for Class 9 students from the current academic year. He had also called for the notification to be withdrawn, prompting speculation that he was distancing himself from the Centre ahead of a possible political move.
The former Tamil Nadu BJP president, who played a key role in bringing together leaders such as TTV Dhinakaran and former Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam ahead of the 2021 Assembly election, has maintained a relatively low profile since the party leadership replaced him with Nainar Nagenthran and revived its electoral alliance with the AIADMK in preparation for the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly election.
Although BJP workers in the Coimbatore region had expected Annamalai to contest the 2026 Assembly polls, he later announced that he would not enter the electoral fray.
Following the recent Assembly election, in which the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) failed to make significant gains and secure power in Tamil Nadu, discontent reportedly emerged within sections of the BJP over the party's performance and leadership. The BJP managed to win only one seat in the election, while Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) emerged as a major force in the state's political landscape.
According to sources within the BJP, Annamalai is unlikely to leave the party and may instead be entrusted with a larger organisational or political role in the future.
However, some of his supporters, particularly in the Coimbatore region, have expressed support for the idea of Annamalai launching a new political party, viewing it as a potential alternative to the TVK.
With PTI inputs