New Delhi: Annamalai Kuppusamy (K Annamalai), who not long ago BJPIts biggest face and its biggest hope in Tamil Nadu has left the party. The former IPS officer, who joined the BJP in 2020 and led the party in the state like never before, is all set to form his own “regional organisation” as he feels being part of a national party “hinders his development”.“According to reports, Annamalai is in Delhi and has thanked all his party chiefs, including Amit Shah, while submitting his resignation, although a formal announcement is yet to be made. Some in the BJP expect a U-turn, but sources close to Annamalai claim that the former IPS officer has moved on and wants to “put his plans into action.”Annamalai has also submitted a detailed report analyzing what went wrong for the BJP in the 2026 elections and has reportedly told top BJP leaders how she was “sidelined” in the party. While the formal separation is happening now, the ground for this separation was laid ahead of the 2026 assembly elections when the BJP abandoned Annamalai’s vision for the party in Tamil Nadu.So, what went wrong?To understand this, let us step back and look at Annamalai’s spectacular rise in the BJP.The BJP, which had been struggling to find its place and relevance in Tamil Nadu politics for years, found a ray of hope in Annamalai. The former IPS officer, who left his job in May 2019 and was working for social welfare through his NGO “We the Leader Foundation”, wanted to enter politics to “bring about a change in the system”. Interestingly, BJP was not Annamalai’s first choice as he wanted to start his political innings with Rajinikanth. But when the superstar’s political plans failed, Annamalai chose the BJP – a party which he said “had a nationalist outlook and a merit-based platform.”Annamalai joined BJP in 2020. Although he lost the 2021 assembly election from Aravakuruchi constituency, he helped the BJP win 2 seats in the western region of the state.The BJP immediately realized Annamalai’s potential and within a year he was made the state party chief. Once firmly in power, Annamalai led his ‘En Man En Makkal’ (My Land, My People) march across Tamil Nadu in 2023, taking the BJP’s popularity to a new high. There was such optimism and hope in the exercise that the top national leadership of the BJP graced it. While Amit Shah inaugurated the 200-day padayatra covering all 234 assembly constituencies in the state, Prime Minister Narendra Modi ended it with a massive public address in February 2024.The publicity and hope generated by Annamalai’s padayatra may have convinced the BJP to part ways with its ally. AIADMK And choose to contest alone in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in Tamil Nadu. The highlight of Annamalai’s political aggression was his sharp and vocal criticism of Dravidian politics and its symbols. Despite the alliance with the AIADMK, he did not spare their leaders either – a factor that ultimately played a significant role in the alienation between the allies. Annamalai’s padayatra took the BJP’s vote share in Tamil Nadu to a record high of 11.38% in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. This was a huge jump from the 3.62% figure the party got in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. But unfortunately, the increase in votes did not translate into seats and the BJP could not open its account for the second consecutive Lok Sabha election. In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, BJP won 1 seat with 5.56% vote share.This probably prompted the BJP to rethink about its ties with the AIADMK and despite Annamalai’s very strong objections – the alliance was revived ahead of the 2026 assembly elections in the state. And it sidelined the former IPS officer, who was later removed as state BJP chief to appease the party’s Dravidian ally.AIADMK sets conditions for BJP in 2026 assembly elections. The regional party ensured that Annamalai was not only removed from the post of state BJP chief but also had no role in deciding candidates for the assembly elections. Annamalai stayed away and did not contest the 2026 assembly elections. Complete dominance of Annamalai in 2023 was transformed into almost complete isolation in 2026. However, on May 4, when the results were declared, Annamalai was proved right and the BJP’s alliance experiment with the AIADMK failed miserably. The saffron party could win only one seat in the assembly. But the former state president still remained silent.Annamalai’s first voice of dissentWhen Annamalai openly hit out at the Union Education Ministry over its notification making three languages ​​compulsory for Class IX students for the first time in six years, it was the first clear sign of an impending rebellion and led to speculation about her possible exit from the party.On May 15, CBSE issued a notification to all affiliated schools to introduce the third compulsory language for class IX students from the current academic year, pushing back the earlier scheduled deadline of 2029-30.Responding to the move, Annamalai wrote on Expecting a ninth grade student to learn a new language in such a short period of time will only put pressure on children and affect their overall learning outcomes.“The fact that he decided to make public his differences with the BJP on language policy, which has always been a sensitive issue in Tamil Nadu, was a sign that he wanted to chart his own course.Although Annamalai may not have openly rebelled, his move to resign does not come as a surprise. Ultimately, his efforts to ensure a distinct identity for the BJP in Tamil Nadu were ruined when the Delhi leadership insisted on an AIADMK alliance in the 2026 assembly elections.An experiment aborted too early?For the BJP, Annamalai’s exit would mean a fresh start in Tamil Nadu. While Annamalai was not leading the state BJP in either of the two assembly elections held during his tenure, his active presence had energized the party. Annamalai was made the BJP Tamil Nadu chief after the 2021 assembly elections, in which the BJP won 4 seats with 2.62% vote share. He stepped down as head of state in 2025, a year before the 2026 assembly elections in which the party’s tally slipped to 1 with a marginal increase in vote share at 2.99%. With Annamalai’s exit, the BJP will be wary of a possible exodus of local leaders and workers from the party.The fact that the people of Tamil Nadu voted overwhelmingly for budding politician Vijay and his party TVK shows that there was room for a new experiment in Tamil Nadu. BJP started on that path with Annamalai but abandoned it midway. Though Annamalai is nowhere close to Vijay’s fan following in the state, the truth is that the former IPS officer, often fondly referred to as “Singham”, had enjoyed a good amount of popularity among the youth of the state. No wonder the “what if” question will continue to haunt both the BJP and Annamalai.But for the BJP – it was perhaps a Hobson’s choice – to go ahead with its Annamalai experiment or join hands with its old ally, the AIADMK, and form an anti-DMK front. In the end it chose its old ally, leaving Annamalai no option but to leave the alliance. Ironically, the same aggression that made him popular within and within the BJP became the reason for his leaving the party.