The Tamil Nadu unit of the BJP on Saturday rejected reports that former state president K Annamalai’s newly launched political party has the support of Prime Minister Narendra Modi or Home Minister Amit Shah. After Annamalai resigned from the BJP and started his own outfit, some observers suggested it might serve as a front for the BJP, which has found it difficult to win significant seats in Tamil Nadu independently. Others claimed he still had backing from the party’s central leadership and might rejoin later if his group gained ground. State BJP president Nainar Nagendran dismissed these suggestions, stating that Annamalai lacks approval from Modi or Shah to form a separate movement. He noted that no leader who has left the BJP has succeeded independently. Nagendran urged party workers not to accept such reports or quit the organization, emphasizing that the BJP faces no setback as it remains the world’s largest party. Following Annamalai’s departure, two other senior figures, state vice-president Karu Nagarajan and state secretary Sumathi Venkatesh, also resigned, along with some lower-level members. Nagendran earlier said the resignation would not harm the BJP and that anyone can form a party in a democracy. He stressed there would be no loss to the organization, which would stay true to its principles. Annamalai, a former police officer who spent about six years in the BJP and raised its profile in Tamil Nadu, announced on Friday that he had left in a respectful way to start a different style of politics. He said larger objectives required involving more people and that a new path and force had begun, with plans to contest the next state assembly elections. Before resigning, he had met senior BJP figures including Shah in Delhi. During his time as state chief, Annamalai was known for strong criticism of the DMK and for publishing documents he called the DMK Files alleging graft. He also faced disputes, including objections from the AIADMK over comments on former chief minister J Jayalalithaa and remarks about Dravidian leader CN Annadurai. These issues contributed to the AIADMK ending its alliance with the BJP in 2023 before the 2024 general elections. After the alliance was restored, Nagendran replaced Annamalai as state president in April 2025.
