K Annamalai quits BJP after Tamil Nadu elections, ending days of suspense
Former Tamil Nadu BJP chief K Annnamalai resigned from the party's primary membership, a month after Tamil Nadu election results.
Ending days of buzz over his exit, the BJP on Friday confirmed that ex-party chief in Tamil Nadu, K Annamalai, has resigned. BJP's national president Nitin Nabin has accepted Annamalai's resignation from the party's primary membership, the BJP said in a release.
Annamalai, also known as ‘Singham’, is a former IPS officer who shot to fame in Tamil Nadu after joining the BJP and being made to lead the party's unit in the southern state. However, for days, strong speculation emerged on his possible resignation, and future course of action.
He stepped away from the party a month after the results of Assembly elections in Tamil Nadu were announced. While C Joseph Vijay-led TVK became the single largest party in the state in its debut contest, the BJP delivered a poor show, winning just one seat (down from the previous four), with a vote share of 2.97% (marginally up from the previous 2.67%).
Buzz around Annamalai's exit from the BJP first surfaced after he failed to make it to the BJP's candidates' list for Tamil Nadu elections. After the party's poll debacle, Annamalai left for Delhi to meet the top brass, further fuelling this speculation.
Rumours also said the former IPS officer is planning to launch a new outfit. However, when asked about the same this week, his reply was: “Please wait. We will sit down and talk in two days”.
His political journey began in 2021, when the BJP fielded him in the Tamil Nadu elections. Despite losing the contest, he was made Tamil Nadu BJP President, a post he held for three years, before stepping down in 2024 after the Lok Sabha polls.
While the BJP raised its vote share in Tamil Nadu in the general elections, it failed to win any seat. Thereafter, Annamalai was replace by naiar nagendran
