Annamalai meets Nitin Nabin; no decision yet on quitting BJP
His supporters in Coimbatore want him to float a new party as an alternative to Vijay's TVK; ahead of his birthday, cryptic posters have appeared on the matter
Amid speculations that he is quitting the BJP to launch his own outfit, K Annamalai met party president Nitin Nabin and national secretary BL Santosh on Tuesday (June 2).
Asked about the speculations that he may launch a new political party, Annamalai, before leaving for Delhi, told reporters at the airport that he would provide answers and make his stand clear in two days.
"Please wait. We will sit down and talk in two days," he told reporters when pressed about the buzz that he is heading to the national capital to meet Nabin.
Also read | Is BJP's Annamalai launching a new party? Cryptic posters suggest so
According to sources, Annamalai has been having serious differences with the party leadership for several months.
The speculation has intensified ahead of Annamalai's birthday, with birthday on June 4, with posters carrying slogans such "Our Leader, Come and Lead Us" appearing along prominent road junctions in Coimbatore.
Opposing 3-language policy
The former state president's opposition to the recent CBSE's announcement on implementing the three-language policy for Class 9 students from the current academic year, and his demand to roll back the notification, fuelled speculation that he was opposing the Centre as he was gearing up to launch his own party.
The former IPS official who played a crucial role in roping in TTV Dhinakaran and former Chief Minister O Panneerselvam for the 2021 Assembly election has been maintaining a low profile, after the party high command replaced him with Nainar Nagenthran and revived the electoral pact with the AIADMK ahead of the 2026 Assembly election.
Out of electoral race
Annamalai, a former IPS officer, entered the political arena by joining the BJP in 2020. He rapidly rose through the ranks to lead the party's Tamil Nadu state unit as president from 2021 until 2025.
Though the party members from the Coimbatore region expected him to contest in the 2026 Assembly election, he later clarified that he opted out of the race.
However, post poll after the NDA's dream of making the Lotus bloom in large numbers and form the first NDA government in the state was shattered by Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam, there were rumblings within the saffron party over the state leadership. The BJP had managed to win only one seat in the recently held election.
A source in the BJP told PTI that Annamalai was unlikely to quit the party as he may be given a bigger role to play. But some of his supporters in Coimbatore favoured the former state president to float a new party as an alternative to the TVK.
With agency inputs