K Annamalai announced the start of a "movement" that would eventually turn into a political party and contest the next Tamil Nadu elections as he finally quit the BJP on Friday after days of speculation. The former BJP Tamil Nadu chief said there was a need to come out of "cult politics" and usher in common man politics in Tamil Nadu, as he announced his Annamalai Makkal Iyakkam (AMI) movement.
"We will start a political movement. We will contest in the next election, for which we need to be ready," Annamalai, popularly known as 'Singham' for his tough policing during his days as an IPS officer, said in a video message. He also gave a glimpse of the ideals that his outfit would be based on.
"Politics does not belong to a family. We will break the concept of permanent leaders, MPs and MLAs. We need to come out of cult politics and bring common man politics," the firebrand leader, widely credited for expanding the BJP's footprint in Tamil Nadu, said.
K ANNAMALAI QUITS BJP
Annamalai, an IPS officer who served in Karnataka, quit the service in 2019 to run an organisation called 'We The Leaders Foundation'. Most of the volunteers of his new movement will likely be from this outfit. He joined the BJP in 2020 and, within a year, was made the state president.
His aggressive campaigns against the then MK Stalin-led DMK government and his padyatra significantly raised the BJP's visibility in the southern state. It was a crucial period as the BJP has historically struggled to gain a foothold in Tamil Nadu.
However, the BJP's decision to align with the AIADMK for the 2026 Tamil Nadu polls fuelled a rift with Annamalai, who was in favour of going solo.
Annamalai's resignation came after he travelled to Delhi earlier this week and held hectic meetings with Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP president Nitin Nabin.
In his resignation letter, Annamalai cited "disagreement" with the party leadership over its political strategy in Tamil Nadu.
FLAGS DISAGREEMENT WITH BJP
Annamalai did not back down from letting his displeasure be known in his video message. "I wanted the BJP to contest alone in the elections. Had spoken to JP Nadda about contesting alone in local bodies and other elections," he said.
Annamalai underlined that despite being in the BJP for the past six years, he had not sacrificed his "Tamil identity".
He stressed that his decision to quit the BJP was not taken in haste. "I informed the BJP brass first about my exit on December 4, 2025. But I was asked to finish election work, so I stayed back," he said.
