Prateek Tanmay
2 min readJun 5, 2026 08:43 PM IST
Former Tamil Nadu BJP president K Annamalai’s exit from the party has triggered the first signs of a split in its state unit, with vice-president Karu Nagarajan resigning hours later and announcing support for the former IPS officer’s new political movement.
Nagarajan, along with his supporters, resigned from the BJP’s primary membership and said they would back Annamalai’s political venture.
“I don’t wish to fault any leader, we have decided to support Annamalai, who is an energetic and bold leader,” Nagarajan told reporters, according to news agency PTI.
Following Annamalai’s announcement, Abhilash Gopinath, BJP Yuva Morcha state legal convener, also resigned from the party.
“My decision is driven by my conviction to follow the path and vision of K Annamalai, whose leadership, integrity, and commitment to public life inspired me to enter politics and continue to influence my political journey,” Gopinath said in his resignation letter.
‘Common man politics’
After handing in his papers, Annamalai said he was embarking on a new journey aimed at ushering in “common man politics,” distancing it from personality-driven politics and rejecting sycophancy and hereditary power.
Emphasising the need for such a movement, he said it would not be about a name but about an idea.
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“Let’s change ourselves, and change will happen naturally. The movement’s core principle is ‘let’s change, let’s bring change’ (maruvom, maatruvom),” the former IPS officer said in a social media address.
Over 8.09 lakh people enrolled as volunteers on launched by Annamalai earlier in the day, to connect with supporters for his political journey.
