K Annamalai on Friday confirmed that he will launch a new political party, bringing an end to days of speculation over his future after his resignation from the Bharatiya Janata Party was formally accepted by party president Nitin Nabin.
The former Tamil Nadu BJP chief is expected to hold a press conference later in the day, where he said he would have a “heart-to-heart conversation” about his next political move.
In a video message released shortly after his resignation was accepted, Annamalai declared that his upcoming political outfit would contest the next Tamil Nadu Assembly elections.
He clarified that his decision to leave the BJP was not sudden and said discussions regarding his exit had been ongoing with the party leadership since December last year.
“They told me to leave after the elections are over in Tamil Nadu. I stayed there till May as per their suggestion,” Annamalai said.
Inviting supporters to join his new political movement, he added, “Come, let us bring together a major change in politics.”
Popularly known as “Singham,” Annamalai is a former IPS officer who rose to prominence after entering politics through the BJP and eventually becoming the party’s Tamil Nadu state president. Over the past several weeks, however, intense speculation had surrounded his future within the party.
His exit comes just weeks after the Tamil Nadu Assembly election results, where the BJP delivered a disappointing performance. The party secured only one seat, down from four previously, while its vote share rose marginally to 2.97 per cent.
Meanwhile, Joseph Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam emerged as the single largest party in its debut electoral contest.
Talk surrounding Annamalai’s possible departure first intensified after he was left out of the BJP’s list of candidates for the Assembly elections. Following the party’s poor showing, he traveled to Delhi for meetings with senior BJP leaders, further fuelling rumors about his next move.
Speculation about him floating a separate political outfit also gained momentum during that period. When asked about the reports earlier this week, Annamalai had simply said, “Please wait. We will sit down and talk in two days.”
Annamalai’s political journey began in 2021 when the BJP fielded him in the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections. Despite losing the contest, he was later appointed president of the Tamil Nadu BJP, a position he held for three years before stepping down after the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Although the BJP managed to improve its vote share in Tamil Nadu during the parliamentary polls, the party failed to win a single seat. Annamalai was eventually replaced by Nainar Nagendran.
Several reports had linked his exit to the BJP’s decision not to field him in the 2026 Assembly elections. However, Annamalai insisted the choice to stay away from electoral politics was entirely his own.
“If I had decided to contest, it would not have mattered which constituency I fought from. I could have contested from anywhere,” he had said.
He also stated that he had informed the BJP leadership in writing about his decision to stay out of the elections and thanked the party for respecting his choice.
