8 Lakh Volunteers Within Hours: Annamalai’s ‘political movement’ becomes instant hit

Former Tamil Nadu BJP chief K Annamalai’s newly launched political movement “We The Leaders” attracted over 7.65 lakh volunteers within hours of launch after his resignation from the BJP.

Chennai: Former Tamil Nadu BJP chief K. Annamalai received a massive response within hours of launching his new political movement, “We The Leaders”, after formally resigning from the BJP on Friday.

According to the movement’s official website, more than 7.65 lakh volunteers and over 50 grassroots leaders joined the initiative shortly after launch, signalling strong public interest in Annamalai’s new political experiment.

Sharing the registration link on X, the former IPS officer urged people interested in “education, health, sustainability and youth leadership” to become part of the movement.

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‘Common man politics’ at the centre

Annamalai described the initiative as the beginning of a new political journey focused on “common man politics” rather than personality-driven or dynastic politics.

Former Tamil Nadu BJP chief K Annamalai’s new political movement “We The Leaders” witnessed a massive response, crossing 7.5 lakh volunteers within hours of launch after his BJP exit. Annamalai says the movement will focus on “common man politics” and grassroots leadership.… pic.twitter.com/lT9qbrLPrK

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He said the movement aims to promote “growth-oriented and culturally rooted” politics in Tamil Nadu while moving away from what he termed “cult politics”.

The movement is built around a “Conscious Constituency Approach”, which combines grassroots participation with technology-driven governance and community leadership.

Annamalai also announced that the APJ Abdul Kalam Centre for Ethics and Politics in Coimbatore would function as an institutional wing within the movement.

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Says movement not aimed at opposing parties

While launching the initiative, Annamalai clarified that the movement was not created to directly fight existing political parties.

“We are not here to compete with anyone. They can express their policies and we will express ours,” he said during his social media address. He further stressed that the movement would focus on constructive politics instead of opposition for the sake of politics.

Exit from BJP after internal discussions

Annamalai revealed that he had informed senior BJP leaders, including Amit Shah, about his intention to resign nearly 18 months ago. He claimed he delayed his departure until after completing election-related responsibilities assigned by the party leadership.