Is BJP's Annamalai launching a new party in TN? Posters across Coimbatore spark buzz

Supporters of Annamalai's fan welfare outfit have begun enrolling members and office-bearers, while his absence from two BJP state meetings and recent differences with the Centre over the three-language policy have intensified speculation about his next political move.

In Short

• CBSE advanced the Class IX third-language deadline from 2029-30 to July 2026
• Annamalai said the sudden change has alarmed many parents in Tamil Nadu
• He argued short-notice language changes could burden students and hurt learning

Posters bearing Annamalai's face and the quote, "Fearless minds gave no limits", have appeared across Coimbatore, fuelling speculation over whether the former Tamil Nadu BJP chief is preparing to launch a new political party.

The development comes as the BJP holds its state central committee meeting in Coimbatore, with Annamalai currently abroad.

His supporters said that his fan welfare organisation, Annamalai Anbu Koottam, is accepting new members and office-bearers.

Annamalai has so far skipped two state central committee meetings, further fuelling speculation about his political future.

Annamalai is yet to react to the development. However, a tweet by Congress MP Karti Chidambaram has added fuel to the speculation, with the leader stating: "One more political party in TN is in the offing, the churn accelerates. (MS- there is an interesting logic to the proposed name)."

The latest development comes amid apparent differences that Annamalai has expressed with the Centre over its three-language policy.

Last week, Annamalai urged the Union Education Ministry to withdraw its recent notification making three languages compulsory for Class IX students from the current academic year, and to adhere to its earlier decision to implement the rule from the 2029-30 academic year.

On May 15, 2026, the CBSE issued a notification to all affiliated schools stating that a third language would become compulsory for Class IX students from July 1, 2026, bringing forward a deadline that had earlier been set for 2029-30.

In a post on X, Annamalai said the move had come as a shock to many parents, especially those from Tamil Nadu, as their children had already selected a language of choice in Class VI. He said the revised notification now required Class IX students to learn three languages, two of which had to be native to India, with effect from July 1, 2026. ‘Expecting a Class IX student to learn a new language at such short notice will only pressurise children and affect their overall learning outcomes,’ he said.

Annamalai said that in April 2026, when the CBSE announced that three languages would be compulsory for Class VI students, with two of them to be native to India, he was among those who welcomed the decision. He said the move would help children broaden their understanding of India’s diverse literary landscape.

He also pointed out that the same April 2026 notification had explicitly stated that the third language for Class IX students in CBSE schools would be made compulsory only from the 2029-30 academic year.

Reiterating his demand, the former state president of the BJP said, "I request the Ministry of Education to immediately roll back this notification and honour its previous commitment to introduce three languages, of which two shall be native Indian languages, for Class IX students from the academic year 2029-30."

However, this was not the only sticking point. Annamalai, who led the BJP in Tamil Nadu from 2021 to 2025, had run into trouble with the AIADMK ahead of the Assembly elections, a development that reportedly contributed to his removal as the state unit chief at the insistence of the NDA ally. His controversial remarks on CN Annadurai and J Jayalalithaa further strained relations with the AIADMK.

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