Chennai

Tamil Nadu BJP president Nainar Nagendran on Friday downplayed the resignation of former state BJP chief K Annamalai, asserting that his departure would not adversely affect the party.

Responding to questions about Annamalai’s decision to quit the BJP and launch a new political organisation, Nagendran said the party did not view the development as a loss.

“There is no loss,” he remarked when asked about the former state chief’s exit.

The statement came shortly after Annamalai announced plans to establish a new political platform that would contest the next Tamil Nadu Assembly elections.

Addressing supporters, Annamalai revealed that he had decided months ago to leave the BJP and had conveyed his intention to the party leadership in December 2025. According to him, senior leaders had requested that he remain with the party until the completion of the state elections.

Explaining his decision, Annamalai said he found himself torn between his role within the BJP and what he described as his commitment to Tamil identity and interests.

Earlier in the day, BJP national president Nitin Nabin formally accepted Annamalai’s resignation from the party’s primary membership.

In his resignation letter, the former state president expressed gratitude to the BJP leadership for supporting issues he had consistently raised. However, he said differences over the party’s approach to Tamil Nadu ultimately led him to part ways with the organisation.

The move follows a recent visit by Annamalai to New Delhi, where he met senior BJP leaders, including Nitin Nabin, party general secretary B L Santhosh and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

Speculation about Annamalai’s political future had intensified after the BJP’s poor performance in the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections. Contesting in alliance with the AIADMK, the party secured only around three per cent of the vote despite fielding candidates in 27 constituencies.

Supporters had further fuelled speculation by displaying posters across Coimbatore urging Annamalai to take up a larger leadership role, particularly around his birthday celebrations.

Although the BJP failed to win a Lok Sabha seat in Tamil Nadu in 2024, Annamalai is credited with significantly increasing the party’s vote share in the state—from roughly three per cent to 11 per cent. Despite that growth, political differences and strained ties with the AIADMK eventually led to his replacement by Nagendran as the Tamil Nadu BJP chief in 2025.

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With Annamalai now preparing to launch a new political outfit, attention is likely to shift to how the emerging formation impacts the state’s political dynamics ahead of the next Assembly election.