He was the leader who raised the BJP’s visibility and profile in a tough political landscape dominated by two Dravidian majors but ultimately got sidelined as the diktats of realpolitik made the party go against his wishes and tie up with the AIADMK. On Monday, former Tamil Nadu BJP president K Annamalai arrived in Delhi to thank his party bosses and let them know that he was parting ways with them.A former IPS officer who had been dubbed the “Singham” of Karnataka Police for his no-holds-barred approach to policing — when he was transferred as Udupi SP, people protested against the decision — Annamalai resigned as Deputy Commissioner of Police (Bengaluru South) in May 2019 to fulfil his ambition of entering politics. In a letter addressed to his friends and well-wishers, the 2011-batch Karnataka cadre officer said he thought long and deep before deciding to resign from the service. Among the reasons he cited were a visit to Kailash Mansarovar the year before that made him see his priorities in life better. He also wrote that senior IPS officer Madhukar Shetty’s death from swine flu in December 2018 also had an impact on his decision. Shetty had played a major role in exposing the illegal mining in Ballari. “Madhukar Shetty sir’s death in a way made me re-examine my own life,” Annamalai wrote in his farewell letter.AdvertisementAlso Read | Exclusive: Annamalai decides to quit BJP in major twist for Tamil Nadu politicsFor a time, Annamalai, who is from the powerful Gounder community in Karuru in western Tamil Nadu, kept a low profile. He worked for social welfare through his NGO, “We the Leader Foundation”, in various parts of the state, practising agriculture, and working on a book. In May 2020, during a Facebook Live session, the former police officer announced his plans. “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.Entry into politicsInitially, it was not clear which way Annamalai would go, saying at one point that he was waiting for Rajinikanth to announce his plans and that he would take a call on joining the actor if he floated a party. However, with the Tamil superstar not moving forward with his plans, three months later, Annamalai joined the BJP, overcoming his apprehension about getting labelled with any one party. For the BJP too, betting on someone like Annamalai seemed like a gambit.“Over a period of time, I started feeling the country needed a political change as much as a social change. I felt the BJP was a natural fit for me because my principles aligned with them. They provide a platform to leaders based on merit. It’s a nationalist party with a larger vision for the country, which is why I decided to join them,” he told The Indian Express at the time. The Dravidian parties, he said, had forgotten why they emerged and many had become “family-run enterprises propagating family visions”. “I can’t imagine myself in a party like that, standing in a queue and expecting the top leader to bless me,” he said.AdvertisementThat opposition to the Dravidian parties would ultimately end up costing him his job and lead to the current situation.Following the 2021 Assembly elections that brought the M K Stalin-led DMK to power, Annamalai took over the reins of the state BJP from L Murugan, who moved to the Centre as a Union Minister. Though he lost the election from the Aravakuruchi constituency, the BJP leader helped the party win two seats in the western region. This helped in his rapid elevation.A favourite of BJP general secretary (organisation) B L Santhosh, Annamalai immediately set to work to raise the party’s profile in the state and break the Dravidian duopoly. His spirited speeches to take on Dravidian parties drew attention, increasing his popularity among the youth.Challenges and hurdlesHowever, he continued to face a challenge from a powerful Brahmin group in the party and the RSS. While his aggressive approach to politics ensured visibility for the BJP, he also stepped on the toes of many in the party as well as the AIADMK. His continued potshots at the AIADMK and 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, months before the Lok Sabha elections of 2024.you may likeAlso Read | The AIADMK-BJP breakup in Tamil Nadu in a nutshellThe BJP’s national leadership, which had given its rising star enough rope till then, recalibrated after the setback in the parliamentary elections. Annamalai spent months on a sabbatical at the University of Oxford in the UK and though he appeared to soften his stance upon his return, the party seemed to be moving in a different direction. In April 2025, with the Assembly elections the following year in mind, the party revived the alliance with the AIADMK. As a result, it sidelined Annamalai and replaced him with Nainar Nagenthran, a more moderate leader amenable to the idea of an alliance with the AIADMK.Annamalai continued to be on the sidelines and though the party tried to get him to contest the Assembly elections, he decided against contesting, underlining the growing distance with the party. For a leader who wanted to position the BJP as an alternative to the Dravidian parties, the rise of C Joseph Vijay is, in a way, a vindication — that he was right in telling the BJP leadership that it should stand on its own rather than depend on the AIADMK.Had Annamalai been given greater autonomy, Vijay might not have been the only choice for Tamil Nadu voters looking for change. This, in turn, could have been beneficial for the BJP. However, now, as the leader once billed as its future in Tamil Nadu prepares to leave, the BJP may be left pondering one of its biggest “what ifs”.