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'Wait for two days': K Annamalai responds to speculation over BJP exit and new political outfit, set to meet Nabin
Annamalai, once the face of the BJP in TN, has largely stayed out of the spotlight since he was replaced by Nainar Nagendran as the party’s state president.
Amid speculation that he may soon quit the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and launch his own political outfit, K Annamalai on Monday asked reporters to wait. “Please wait. We will sit down and talk in two days,” he said before leaving for Delhi for a meeting with BJP leader Nitin Nabin, reported PTI.
Annamalai, once the face of the BJP in Tamil Nadu, has largely stayed out of the spotlight since he was replaced by Nainar Nagendran as the party’s state president. Rumours about his future in the party began circulating soon after the leadership change and intensified following the BJP’s poor performance in the recently concluded elections, in which it managed to win only one seat.
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The buzz gained further momentum after Annamalai left for Delhi on Monday. According to an NDTV report, an unnamed BJP leader said, “Annamalai feels there is no opportunity and future for him in the BJP.”
The same report said the political outfit he is reportedly planning could contest upcoming assembly by-elections in Tamil Nadu. There are at least five such bypolls likely soon as CM Vijay has left one of his two seats and four MLAs of the AIADMK have resigned.
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Speculation about a possible split was also fuelled by Annamalai’s criticism of the CBSE’s decision to implement the three-language policy for Class 9 students from the current academic year.
He had urged the board to withdraw the notification, a move that was seen by some observers as a departure from the BJP-led Centre’s position.
The former IPS officer, who played a key role in bringing together TTV Dhinakaran and former chief minister O Panneerselvam ahead of the 2021 Tamil Nadu assembly elections, has maintained a low profile since the BJP leadership replaced him with Nagendran and revived its alliance with the AIADMK for the 2026 assembly polls.
While BJP workers in the Coimbatore region had expected him to contest the 2026 assembly elections, Annamalai later clarified that he would not be in the fray.
(With inputs from PTI)
