Key Takeaways

• BJP president Nitin Nabin accepted K Annamalai’s primary membership resignation on Friday.
• Annamalai met senior leaders including Amit Shah before formally quitting the party.
• He plans to announce his future political plans via a social media interaction.
• His exit follows the party’s poor performance in the recent Tamil Nadu polls.

BJP president Nitin Nabin formally accepted the resignation of former party chief K Annamalai from the primary membership of the party on Friday. This official confirmation comes after days of intense speculation regarding the former IPS officer’s political future. Annamalai, who had been camping in Delhi since Monday, has reportedly sought to outline his next steps through a public interaction on social media later in the day. The move intensifies rumors that he may launch a new political outfit following the party’s recent electoral struggles in Tamil Nadu.

The sequence of events leading to this BJP resignation began with the party’s significant electoral setback in Tamil Nadu. TOI was the first to report Annamalai's exit from the party after this poll debacle. Prior to formally quitting, Annamalai had been engaging in high-level discussions within the party hierarchy. Sources indicated that he had met Union home minister Amit Shah to convey his decision to leave. These meetings were part of a series of consultations that also included BJP national president Nitin Nabin and national organisational general secretary B L Santhosh.

Following these meetings in Delhi, it was reported that Annamalai sought a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi before returning to Chennai. His departure marks a significant shift for the party in the southern state, where he had previously risen to prominence. Kuppusamy Annamalai, widely referred to as "Singham" by his supporters, had joined the BJP in 20020 and was appointed state president the following year. He succeeded L Murugan, who had been elevated to the role of a union minister at the time.

How BJP pushed Annamalai to the edge

The circumstances surrounding Annamalai's exit have drawn considerable attention from political analysts and the public alike. His tenure as state president was marked by a distinct political style that garnered him a massive following. However, the recent electoral performance in Tamil Nadu appears to have been a catalyst for his decision. The internal dynamics of the party, combined with external pressures, seemed to have contributed to his decision to step away from primary membership.