Hours after formally parting ways with the Bharatiya Janata Party, former Tamil Nadu BJP president K. Annamalai made a major political announcement on Friday, declaring that he would launch a new movement and contest the next Tamil Nadu Assembly election under a new political party.
In a video, released by Annamalai on his X account, he was direct about his intentions.
"Today, we are going to start a movement. Our political party will contest in the next assembly election in Tamil Nadu," he said, signalling an immediate pivot from party loyalist to independent political force.
He also pulled back the curtain on the timeline of his disillusionment with the BJP, revealing that his decision to quit had been made long before Friday's formal announcement.
"It was a great conflict whether I am a BJP person or a Tamilian. I told the party on 4 December 2025 that I am going to resign. The party asked me to finish the elections and then go," Annamalai said.
An Important Announcement https://t.co/IcEnfaZGRK
— K.Annamalai (@annamalai_k) June 5, 2026
The admission confirms that Annamalai had been operating as a reluctant party member for over six months, honouring a commitment to see through the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections before making his exit official.
ALSO READ: K Annamalai Quits BJP Days After Tamil Nadu Polls, Party President Nitin Nabin Accepts Resignation
The tension between his identity as a Tamil leader and his role within a national party headquartered in Delhi had been building for years. Reports of friction between him and the central leadership had persisted, particularly over the BJP's decision to revive its alliance with the AIADMK, a move Annamalai had long and publicly opposed.
His replacement as state unit chief by Nainar Nagenthran in April 2025 was widely seen as the beginning of the end of his tenure within the party.
Speculation about a new political outfit had intensified in recent days, with supporters floating the idea of a platform under the banner of "Makkal Sakthi Iyakkam."
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