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Before his resignation, Annamalai is believed to have been “made to understand” the nuanced situation which required a new BJP chief who can work with a fresh slate with AIADMK and is from a different but equally significant caste than Gounder
Annamalai once flogged himself six times outside his residence in Coimbatore to “take down all the evil”, referring to an incident of sexual assault of a 19-year-old student at Anna University. (PTI)
The politically inevitable has happened in poll-bound Tamil Nadu where K Annamalai stepped down on Friday, clearing the road for an alliance between BJP and AIADMK, which was rocked because of the charismatic state BJP president.
After a meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah, AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami is speculated to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to Tamil Nadu when he is scheduled to inaugurate the Pamban railway bridge off the Rameswaram coast.
Life seems to have come a full political circle for Annamalai who, flanked by his close associates in Coimbatore, announced that he is not in the race for the southern state’s BJP chief.
“There is no contest in Tamil Nadu BJP, we will select a leader unanimously. But I am not in the race. I am not in the BJP state leadership race,” said the former cop. Election is due for Tamil Nadu BJP’s organisation ahead of election of the BJP’s national president.
THE ANGRY, YOUNG MAN
Annamalai, the aggressive face of BJP in a state where it is yet to be considered a serious player, and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) have had a complex and often strained relationship, particularly in the context of Tamil Nadu’s political landscape leading up to the 2026 assembly elections.
During J Jayalalithaa’s tenure, then PM aspirant Narendra Modi had a warm relationship with her and hence the party. However, Annamalai’s arrival on the political scene and Jayalalithaa’s death changed much on ground. Though the BJP and AIADMK were allies within the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) during the 2019 general election and the 2021 Tamil Nadu assembly elections, the former cop had unconventional planning to create a larger vote share for the saffron party. His outspoken criticism of AIADMK icons, including former leaders CN Annadurai and Jayalalithaa were not received well by the former ally. It finally led to a full-blown war in September 2023 when EPS formally severed ties with the BJP, citing Annamalai’s conduct as the primary reason. However, Modi and Shah backed the BJP state chief’s ways to enlarge the party’s electoral pie in the state.
“Till the DMK government is not overthrown, I will walk barefoot. I’m requesting the people, please look into all this,” he announced last year, citing law-and-order problems in the state. In another instance, Annamalai promised to flog himself six times outside his residence in Coimbatore to “take down all the evil”, referring to an incident of sexual assault of a 19-year-old student at Anna University. Making a big spectacle, he indeed flogged himself. Such actions were meant to capitalise on the anti-establishment sentiment in Tamil Nadu while AIADMK was seen to be passive about raising issues.
WHAT’S NEXT?
But political realities ahead of next year’s assembly election in the state demanded that the BJP allies with its former ally — the AIADMK.
“With respect to the alliance, you have to understand that for a national party like the BJP, a disciplined party, it is our national leadership that will decide. So, we have committees, we have parliamentary boards which look into a lot of angles before they make the decision,” Annamalai recently said while blaming the state’s unusual five-cornered contest.
As of early 2025, the BJP’s central leadership became keen to rekindle its alliance with AIADMK to strengthen its position against the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) in 2026. A key moment was the March 25, 2025, meeting between EPS and Shah in New Delhi, that signalled a thaw in relations.
But it wasn’t easy for AIADMK to forget the ‘angry young man’ persona of Annamalai that critiqued its top leaders who may not be around anymore but still command respect in a segment of Tamil society.
During a possible alliance talk, Annamalai’s caste also proved to be a roadblock. Both Annamalai and EPS hail from the Gounder community in western Tamil Nadu. The BJP top leadership was keen to have a BJP chief who is from another caste to widen the possible vote share next year. Well before his resignation, Annamalai is believed to have been “made to understand” the nuanced situation which required a new BJP chief who can work with a fresh slate with AIADMK and is from a different but equally significant caste than Gounder.
News18 has learnt that lack of support from emerging parties like Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) was one of the reasons for the rush of this decision to tie the alliance before it captures the imagination of voters.
Understandably, Annamalai’s supporters are upset, with many giving media reactions suggesting him to float his own outfit. However, sources suggest that is far from a consideration for the young leader who emerged as the face of fierce opposition in the state in a short period. Names like L Murugan, Tamilisai Soundararajan, or Nainar Nagendran are now being considered to replace him. As for Annamalai, BJP sources suggest they have ‘bigger plans’ for the leader, who is said to have impressed even the prime minister in this short stint and it is now being actively considered to bring him to New Delhi.
Last year, ahead of Lok Sabha elections, PM Modi had said in an interview to a local channel: “Annamalai is attracting the youth. They see him and think that if money and corruption were the reasons behind his conduct, then he could have joined the DMK. Annamalai chose the BJP not for personal reasons, but for national reasons.”
