DC Edit | Why Annamalai Left BJP

The resignation of former president of BJP’s Tamil Nadu unit K. Annamalai from the party and his plans to launch a new outfit have sparked some intriguing speculation mainly because the moves come after over a year-long wait since his loss of the party position. Did he gather the courage to go on his own after witnessing the success and ascent to the chief minister’s chair of C. Joseph Vijay? Though Mr Annamalai was the BJP’s chief ministerial candidate when the president’s post was thrust upon him in 2021, he could never even win his MLA seat in the elections that followed.

So, as someone who failed to make his mark as the BJP state president, he could now be aspiring to reach his goal by breaking free from the party. The poor faring of traditional parties, including the two Dravidian majors, in the recent elections could have made him see a future for only new parties like the TVK, which was just over two years old when it romped home in the elections. Also the extremely dismal performance of BJP — it won a single seat in the 234-member Assembly — made him realise that the party, despite ruling the country for over 12 years, has no chance of capturing the imagination of the people of Tamil Nadu where, as the TVK’s triumph reveals, it is the youth brigade that has taken charge.

Mr Annamalai, who is just 42 years old, had enjoyed a very good fan following among the youth mainly because of his credentials as a former IPS officer, even outside the purview of the BJP. Now he hopes to harness the youth’s support to his political advantage. That his supporters too feel the same was vouched for by the rejuvenation and proliferation of the Annamalai Narpani Mandrams which are social welfare clubs named after him. The clubs sprouted during his tenure with the party and they came alive when news spread of his launching a new one. Although a fan club of a politician may not be the same as an actor’s, it could be a new phenomenon in the politics of the future.