K. Annamalai is an Indian politician and former 2011 batch IPS officer from the Tamil Nadu cadre. He resigned as an IPS officer in 2019 after serving at different locations in Tamil Nadu for a period of eight years. In 2020, he joined the Bharatiya Janata Party prior to which he was a part of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam.

K. Annamalai was born as Annamalai Kuppusamy on Monday, 4 June 1984 (age 38 years; as of 2022) in Karur, Tamil Nadu. His zodiac sign is Gemini. In 2007, he completed a degree in Bachelor of Engineering at PSG College of Technology, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. In 2010, he earned a PGDM in Business from the Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow. K Annamalai’s LinkedIn Account K. Annamalai served as the Secretary of the Samvedi Society and its management circle at PSG College of Technology during his college days. He also served as a Student Coordinator of the Abhiyan (Entrepreneurship Cell of IIM Lucknow) and Character and Personality Club of his college when he was pursuing his post-graduation.

IPS career

In 2010, Annamalai cleared the UPSC Civil Services Examination. Following his selection, he underwent training at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy in Hyderabad, Telangana. In September 2013, he was appointed as the Assistant Superintendent of Police for the Karkala sub-division in Udupi district, Karnataka. He was later promoted to the rank of Superintendent of Police in January 2015 and served in that capacity until August 2016. Annamalai was then transferred to the Chikmagalur district of Karnataka and continued to serve as a Superintendent of Police until October 2018. He was promoted to the position of Deputy Commissioner of Police for Bengaluru South in 2018. However, in May 2019, he resigned from his position citing personal reasons.

Social activism

Annamalai Kuppusamy after resigning from IPS service founded We the Leaders Foundation (WTLF) which is a non-profit organization to improve rural youths leadership skills.

Political career

Annamalai started his political career with the BJP in August 2020 at the party's headquarters in New Delhi in the presence of Muralidhar Rao and L. Murugan.  He was appointed as the Vice President of the Tamil Nadu unit of the BJP. As the State Vice-President, Annamalai was part of the committee that negotiated an alliance with the AIADMK in the National Democratic Alliance.

In the 2021 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election, Annamalai contested from the Aravakurichi Assembly constituency and secured a vote share of 38.9%, becoming the first runner-up in the constituency. Following the appointment of L. Murugan as a Union Minister, Annamalai was promoted to the position of President of the Tamil Nadu unit of the BJP.

In January 2023, Annamalai was granted Z-category security cover after receiving threats from Maoists and religious extremists, according to an intelligence report.

Facts 

• K. Annamalai is an Indian politician. He is the president of the Bharatiya Janata Party in Tamil Nadu. He was associated with the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam before joining BJP.
• K. Annamalai is a 2011 batch IPS officer, who served at various locations in Tamil Nadu as a civil servant for a period of nine years.
• During his college days, K. Annamalai actively served as the Secretary of the Samvedi Society and its management circle. He was also associated with the Abhiyan (Entrepreneurship Cell of IIM Lucknow) and Character and Personality Club of the college as its Student Coordinator.
• From September 2011 to December 2011, K. Annamalai was an Officer Trainee at LBSNA Mussoorie, Uttaranchal, India. He then joined the Officer Training at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy in December 2011 and received the training till September 2013.
• K. Annamalai is a follower of Sri Ramakrishna Mutt and its head Srimat Swami Gautamananda Ji Maharaj.
• From September 2013 to December 2014, K. Annamalai served as the Assistant Superintendent of Police of Karkala, Karnataka, India. In January 2015, he was designated as the Superintendent of Police of Udupi, Karnataka, India. From August 2016 to October 2018, K. Annamalai worked as the Superintendent of Police at Chikmagalur, Karnataka, India. He was then appointed as the Deputy Commissioner of Police of South Bangalore in October 2018 and served the position till September 2019.
• When K. Annamalai was transferred from the Udupi district of Tamil Nadu to Chikmagalur, Karnataka several people of the district protested against the decision of the state government.
• Later, K. Annamalai quit the position of Deputy Commissioner of Police in South Bangalore in 2019 to engage himself in social service. Soon after his resignation as an IPS officer, in a media conference, he stated that he was a natural fit for the Bharatiya Janata Party. He said,
  I was considering my options over the last few months but finally I have decided to join the BJP and start my political career. I see I am a natural fit there (in BJP).”
• In another media conversation, he revealed that he wanted to enter Indian politics to bring some positive changes to the political system of the country. He said,
  I am planning to enter Tamil Nadu politics soon, maybe in another two-three months. And I am planning to contest the 2021 assembly elections which will be held in April-May. I want to bring some positive changes to the system.”
• In December 2019, K. Annamalai founded an organisation named Core Talent and Leadership Pvt. Ltd. and started working as its Director. In March 2020, he established the an organisation titled ‘We The Leaders Foundation’ and began working as its Chief Mentor. This venture promotes organic agriculture and modern agriculture technology among Indians.
• On 25 August 2020, K. Annamalai joined the Bharatiya Janata Party. Later, the party appointed him as the Vice President of the Tamil Nadu State.
• In 2021, K. Annamalai contested the Tamil Nadu state assembly election from the Aravakurichi constituency of Karur district on the ticket of the Bharatiya Janata Party; however, he lost the elections to a leader of DMK, NR Elango.
• Soon after he joined BJP in 2019, DMK party leaders in Tamil Nadu started trolling him that he earned benefits from the BJP government during his tenure as an IPS officer. Consequently, on one of his social media platforms, K. Annamalai responded to this accusation of DMK. He wrote that he was selected as an IPS officer when UPA was in power in the country.
• He remains very active on various social media platforms. K. Annamalai has over 226k followers on Facebook. His Instagram account is followed by over 79k people. On Twitter, he has more than 415k followers. He frequently shares his pictures and videos on various social media.
• Once, in a conversation with a media house, K. Annamalai disclosed that he was an admirer of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
• According to one of his social media bio, K. Annamalai is a sports enthusiast, and he hails from a farmer family background.
• On 5 June 2022, K. Annamalai was in the news after he accused the DMK-led Tamil Nadu state government and the family of Chief Minister M K Stalin of corruption charges.
• On 23 July 2022, K. Annamalai was invited to the farewell dinner ceremony of the outgoing President of India, Ram Nath Kovind. This event was hosted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Reportedly, Annamalai was the only BJP state president who received an invitation along with other senior union ministers and chief ministers of India. K. Annamalai attended the party along with the former chief minister of Tamil Nadu, Edappadi Palanisami. According to some media sources, the dynamic nature of Annamalai and his policy and nature of work attracted the top leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party.
• Apart from being a leader, K. Annamalai is also an accomplished author. He is the author of the book titled Stepping Beyond Khakhi.