K Annamalai: Tracing the rise and retreat of BJP's Tamil Nadu 'Singam'

Tamil Nadu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader K Annamalai met Union Home Minister Amit Shah at his residence in New Delhi on 2 June, amid speculation that he may quit the party and float a new political outfit in the state.

A former India Police Services (IPS) officer, Annamalai, 42, has over the years emerged as the BJP's most prominent face in Tamil Nadu, one of the few states where the saffron party has struggled to establish a significant foothold. He previously served as the party's state president and was widely seen as the BJP's key bet to expand its presence in the state.

Annamalai's meeting with Shah on Tuesday lasted for about 30 minutes. Several media reports claimed that Annamalai also met BJP president Nitin Nabin and party national general secretary B L Santhosh, and tendered his resignation from the party.

But there was no official confirmation on this.

Resignation reports

The Indian Express reported on 1 June that Annamalai had made up his mind to quit the BJP and that his Delhi visit was intended as a “gesture of gratitude” to the party leadership. Annamalai had asked the BJP top brass to reinstate him as the Tamil Nadu unit chief with long-term autonomy and authority for at least seven years, or allow him to pursue a different political path.

The IE report, quoting sources, said that Annamalai is considering launching a new party in the state, where the Dravidian majors, the DMK and the AIADMK, faced a debacle in the recent Assembly polls.

Superstar-turned-politician Vijay led his debutant TVK to a stunning win in recent assembly polls and ended six-decades of Dravidian rule. The TVK formed the government in Tamil Nadu last month with the support extended by smaller parties including the Congress.

The saffron party central leadership is, however, learnt to have asked for time to take a call on his proposed resignation.

Annamalai is reported to have been sulking in the party since he was replaced with Nainar Nagenthran as Tamil Nadu BJP president and the electoral pact with the AIADMK was revived ahead of the 2026 assembly elections in the state. He did not contest the 2026 assembly polls. But his public meetings and rallies led him ahead of elections attracted massive turnouts, with significant crowds spilling onto road.

Annamalai's response

Annamalai came to Delhi on Monday to call on the party leadership amid speculations that he may launch a new political party. Asked about the speculation that he may launch a new political party, Annamalai, before leaving for Delhi, told reporters at the airport that he would provide answers and make his stand clear in two days.

"Please wait. We will sit down and talk in two days," he told reporters in Chennai before leaving for Delhi, when pressed about the buzz that he was heading to the national capital to meet party chief Nitin Nabin, as he planned to quit the party.

A former IPS officer

Born on 4 June 1984, into a family of farmers from the electorally powerful Gounder community in Tamil Nadu's Karur, Annamalai was originally named Siva Senthil Kumar.

Annamalai , a shorter version of Annamalai Siva Senthil Kumar that he chose in school certificate, studied Mechanical Engineering at PSG College of Technology in Coimbatore. Later he did MBA from the Indian Institute of Management in Lucknow.

Annamalai cleared the Civil Services exam in 2011 and oined the Indian Police Service. He became wildly popular during his career as a police officer in Karnataka and acquired the moniker 'Singam', centred on the titular character, DSP Duraisingam, a short-tempered, honest cop with a mission to eliminate corruption from society.

When he was transferred to Udupi as SP, people protested the decision. In May 2019, Annamalai resigned as Deputy Commissioner of Police (Bengaluru South) to fulfil his ambition of entering politics

After resigning as IPS, he worked for social welfare through his NGO, “We the Leader Foundation”. In May 2020, Annamalai announced his decision to enter politics during a Facebook Live session.

“I am planning to enter Tamil Nadu politics and will contest in the next Assembly election in Tamil Nadu … By entering politics, I want to bring change in the system,” he said.

Tenure as BJP chief in Tamil Nadu

In August 2020, Annamalai joined the BJP. After the 2021 Assembly elections that brought the MK Stalin-led DMK to power, Annamalai replaced L Murugan as BJP’s Chief in Tamil Nadu. Annamalai lost the assembly election 2021 from the Aravakuruchi constituency, but he was credited for helping the party win two seats.

Annamalai is often referred to as close to BJP general secretary (organisation) B L Santhosh. His speeches taking on Dravidian parties drew attention and increased his popularity among the youth. During his tenure as the state BJP chief from 2021-25, Annamalai increased the BJP's visibility and often succeeded in setting the narrative.

Losing the favour

Ever since he was elevated as the BJP's Tamil Nadu chief, Annamalai faced resistance from a powerful Brahmin lobby within the party and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the BJP's ideological parent organisation.

Annamalai took repeated potshots at the AIADMK and his personal rivalry with its leader and former CM Edappadi K Palaniswami led to the end of the alliance between the two parties in September 2023, ahead of the Lok Sabha elections 2024.

Annamalai, who had sought to position the BJP as an alternative to Tamil Nadu's Dravidian parties, particularly the AIADMK, did not contest the 2026 Assembly elections. Incidentally, however, voters handed power to Joseph Vijay's TVK, which had also campaigned as an alternative to the state's entrenched Dravidian forces — the DMK and the AIADMK.

As things stand today, the BJP is the fifth-largest party by vote share and eighth by seats in Tamil Nadu. In the recent assembly election, the saffron party polled 3 per cent of the vote and won only one seat.

(With agency inputs)