‘Makkal Sakthi Iyakkam’ posters all over Coimbatore; Rajini's 'Annamalai' move in Tamil Nadu?

CHENNAI: Former BJP Tamil Nadu state president K Annamalai is reportedly planning to form a new party. The news regarding this will be announced on Annamalai's birthday, the 4th of June. Annamalai's followers have started work party activities while the name ‘Makkal Sakthi Iyakkam’ is getting popular in Coimbatore.

Posters with Annamalai's face and the quote 'Nirbhaya Manasakkulam Paritil' are all over Coimbatore. Annamalai, who was abroad, returned to Chennai on Monday. He will meet Rajinikanth soon. It is reported that Annamalai is keen for Rajini's direct support for the formation of the party. In the meantime, Annamalai said at the Chennai airport before leaving for Delhi that he will answer all the questions in two days.

Annamalai, a former IPS officer, was the state BJP president from 2021 to 2025, during which he attracted youngsters to the party while cultivating a massive following in the state. After the AIADMK left NDA, the BJP won the highest vote share from the state in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections - 11.4%. The BJP's vote share was third behind the DMK and the AIADMK.

But in the last assembly elections, the vote share fell to 2.62%. BJP, which had four MLAs in Tamil Nadu, was reduced to just one MLA. The BJP central leadership had removed Annamalai from the post of state president to restore ties with the AIADMK. The seat allocation in the assembly elections was done without respecting Annamalai's opinions. Although there were rumours that he would stay away from the campaign, Annamalai proved the critics wrong by actively involving himself in BJP's campaigning.

Two days ago, Annamalai expressed his opposition to the central government's three-language policy through social media. This is reported to be the first sign that the popular nationalist face in Tamil Nadu is signalling his exit from the party. The BJP leadership has not responded to the issue.