at an 2024 event in Madurai Annamalai joined the
Bharatiya Janata Party in August 2020 and was appointed a vice-president of the
BJP Tamil Nadu unit within weeks of joining the party. On 8 July 2021, he was appointed the President of BJP's Tamil Nadu unit, succeeding
L. Murugan. He stepped down from the post of state unit president in April 2025.
Political positions and disputes Taking on the ruling
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) over corruption, Annamalai released a series of audio recordings as
DMK Files, which showed statements linking senior DMK figures, including ex-finance minister
Palanivel Thiaga Rajan and relatives of CM
M. K. Stalin to large-scale financial misconduct, and also corruption cases on DMK ministers such as
Senthil Balaji and
K. Ponmudy, making the party file defamation cases against him. The DMK issued a legal notice to Annamalai seeking an unconditional apology and ₹500 crore in damages, alleging that his statements were false, laughable, defamatory, to gain personal and political mileage without any basis or evidence. Despite the allegations in the DMK Files there is no credible report or official record of an FIR, ED/CBI inquiry, or prosecution launched against DMK leaders specifically in relation to the allegations outlined by Annamalai. In March 2023, a case was registered by the
Tamil Nadu Police’s cyber crime wing against Annamalai in connection with his social media post alleging attacks on North Indian migrant workers in Tamil Nadu under DMK government. Later, the
Tamil Nadu and
Bihar governments stated that the reports of attacks were unfounded and cautioned against the circulation of misinformation by him. During his tenure as president, Annamalai's repeated remarks on alliance party
AIADMK's ideology and its leaders, including
C. N. Annadurai and
J. Jayalalithaa, caused the AIADMK to withdraw from the BJP-led
National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in September 2023. In the
2024 Indian general election in Tamil Nadu, the BJP, under the leadership of Annamalai, formed a NDA-lead alliance with the
Pattali Makkal Katchi,
Tamil Maanila Congress, and
Amma Makkal Munnettra Kazagam, and contested the election. The alliance did not win any of the 39 Lok Sabha seats in the state. Annamalai, who contested from the Coimbatore constituency, was defeated by a margin of approximately 110,000 votes. Following defeats of both parties in
2024 Indian general election, the AIADMK leaders maintained that Annamalai's approach towards alliance partners had led to the defeats. On 26 August 2024, Annamalai criticized
Edappadi K. Palaniswami, the general secretary of the
AIADMK, referring to him as “illiterate” and alleging that he had emerged as the AIADMK Legislature Party leader in 2017 as the "highest bidder". According to a article by
Deccan Herald, relations between the AIADMK and the BJP had significantly deteriorated during Annamalai’s leadership. On 13 April 2026, following the request of the new BJP state president and his successor, Nainar Nagendran, he resumed wearing footwear.
Controversies On 22 December 2022, Annamalai faced criticism from political opponents over a luxury “
Rafale” special edition
wristwatch reportedly worth over ₹5 lakh. Critics questioned how he could afford the watch, sought proof of purchase, and also raised concerns over his references to nationalism given that the watch was manufactured in
France. After four months, in April 2023, Annamalai released a purchase bill for the watch. In July 2025, K. Annamalai purchased agricultural land near
Coimbatore, reported to be up to . Political opponents alleged that the property was registered at the government guideline value rather than the higher market value. Annamalai denied any wrongdoing, stating that the purchase was funded through personal savings and loans, and that applicable stamp duty and registration charges, reported to be over ₹40 lakh, were duly paid.
Post-presidency activities In April 2025, Annamalai was changed from state president post with reports that the decision was taken by the BJP to mend ties with AIADMK. Reportedly,
Palaniswami set, as a precondition for alliance discussions ahead of the 2026 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election, the removal of Annamalai from his position, citing his criticism of the AIADMK prior to the talks with the BJP. He was succeeded by
Nainar Nagendran, who was former AIADMK minister. He continued to make public statements and participate in party activities. He criticises DMK on issues of law and order deterioration. Annamalai's meeting with AMMK leader
T.T.V. Dhinakaran in mid-2025, raised speculation about realignments, though he stated that he had no plans to float separate political party and remained committed to the BJP. For
2026 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election, Annamalai was assigned BJP's incharge for six constituencies, but later stepped down due to personal reasons. During the seat-sharing arrangements, he expressed strong displeasure to the party's national leadership over the constituencies allotted by the AIADMK. On April 4, 2026, while addressing reporters in Chennai, Annamalai said he had already decided not to contest the election and had informed the party’s core committee in advance. He clarified that the decision was his own and not due to being denied a ticket and added that he would campaign for NDA alliance candidates across Tamil Nadu. == International engagements ==