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Annamalai meets BJP president amid party exit speculation: Report
02 Jun 2026

Former Tamil Nadu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president K Annamalai met party national president Nitin Nabin and general secretary BL Santosh in New Delhi on Tuesday.

The meeting comes amid speculation that Annamalai is planning to leave the BJP and form a new political party, though not immediately.

Sources told The Times of India that Annamalai has had serious differences with the party leadership for months.

Annamalai to meet Amit Shah
Exit speculation

Annamalai is also scheduled to meet Home Minister Amit Shah later on Tuesday.

He is likely to announce his exit from the BJP after this meeting, the TOI report cited the sources as saying.

However, they added that there is no consensus within the party that an exit is imminent.

A party source reportedly indicated that Annamalai could also be assigned a larger organizational responsibility.

Vijay's emergence as a political force
Political shift

Annamalai reportedly believes that the political landscape of Tamil Nadu has changed drastically with actor Vijay emerging as a political force.

"There is no leader to fight Vijay today. The Dravidian era is over. Politics centered on language issues alone will no longer work. The politics of the state have changed," a source aware of the discussions reportedly said.

Annamalai is believed to be contemplating starting a people's movement, which may eventually evolve into a political party.

Annamalai was replaced as Tamil Nadu BJP chief last year
Leadership change

The development comes nearly a year after Annamalai was replaced as Tamil Nadu BJP chief in a bid to realign the party's strategy for the 2026 Assembly elections.

His aggressive political style had strained ties with the AIADMK, the BJP's ally in Tamil Nadu.

Relations between the two parties soured after Annamalai's repeated criticism of AIADMK leaders, including remarks on party icons such as J Jayalalithaa.