More to quit BJP in Tamil Nadu? Annamalai's exit triggers mass exodus towards 'We The Leaders' movement

The exit of party president K. Annamalai from the Tamil Nadu BJP has sparked concerns on the saffron party's future in the state, with at least 16 others following suit.

Its vice president, Karu Nagarajan, and secretary Sumathi Venkatesh, are also among the 16 who resigned on Friday, amid lakhs of people expressing interest in Annamalai's new 'We The Leaders' movement.

The resignations, which will impact the party's state unit, come hours after the BJP's national president, Nitin Nabin, formally accepted the veteran leader's resignation, ending days of speculations over the move.

Notably, though Annamalai had said that his vision for Tamil Nadu no longer aligned with that of the party, his carefully timed exit was chosen to respect a key BJP request—that he stay until the end of the 2026 Assembly elections.

Political observers say that the gap between the exit in 2026 and the time he conveyed the idea to the BJP—said to be December 4, 2024—also allowed him to work on the optics of his exit.

The idea behind his new political movement is to build on his credible national image, fuelled by his respect for PM Modi and his pro-India sentiments, while also giving him the separation from the Centre to tackle the "bigger" grassroots-level issues, such as as the Mekedatu dam, water rights, and the language policy.

Though the former IPS officer faces significant challenges, including Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay's popularity, a lack of resources, and a long five-year wait until the 2031 polls, his foundation plans to take its time to boost its presence in the realm of "common man politics", long occupied by the DMK and the AIADMK.

Annamalai, who belongs to the influential Gounder community of western Tamil Nadu and is widely regarded as a staunch Hindutva supporter, could also use his reputation to draw support from various sides of the political spectrum in the state.

However, CPI(M) leader Shanmugam P. claimed that Annamalai's new movement was a "disguise" that was allegedly among the thousands "guided by the RSS".

"Annamalai is attempting ... to see if changing the (BJP's) name can make the business successful. Claiming that 2.50 lakh people have joined within the first two hours—it's the BJP party members who are being added here," he added in an X post.

It is yet to be seen how the foundation and the Tamil Nadu BJP navigate the exodus of 16 of its leaders, which has fuelled speculations of more to come in the weeks ahead.