Nainar Nagendran, BJP MLA for Tamil Nadu's Tirunelveli seat, is all set to succeed K Annamalai as the party's state unit chief. Although officially announced later,
Nagendran's promotion brings a major change as Annamalai sets to shift focus to a national position—applauded by many as acknowledgement of his works in Tamil Nadu's political spectrum.
During his visit to Tamil Nadu to assess party operations and discuss alliance strategies for the 2026 Assembly elections, Union Home Minister and senior BJP leader Amit Shah praised Annamalai’s leadership. He acknowledged the outgoing chief's dedication, stating that only one nomination had been filed for the top state role.
"Tamil Nadu BJP has got nomination for the State President post from only Shri @NainarBJP Ji. The President of the Tamil Nadu unit of BJP, Shri @annamalai_k Ji, has been making outstanding achievements. Whether to take the PM Shri @narendramodi Ji policies to the masses or the party's schemes to village to village, Annamalai Ji's effort has been unparalleled."
"The BJP will use Annamalai Ji's organizational abilities within the party's national structure," Shah stated through social media.
Nagendran, the present state BJP vice president, was the only one in the fray and had the support of the party at large. He was a former member of AIADMK and was the first to file his nomination at BJP headquarters, Kamalalayam, located in T Nagar. His candidature was supported by prominent party leaders such as Annamalai, Union Minister L Murugan, former Union Minister Pon Radhakrishnan, and MLA Vanathi Srinivasan, who also is the chief of the BJP Mahila Morcha.
A veteran political leader, Nagendran was in the Jayalalithaa-led AIADMK Cabinet before shifting to the BJP in 2017, after a brief period of political isolation following Jayalalithaa's death. A staunch pro-Hindutva leader, the 64-year-old's elevation as the 13th president of the Tamil Nadu BJP unit is viewed as a calculated move to patch up relations with the AIADMK and consolidate the opposition against the ruling DMK ahead of the 2026 elections.
"He (Nagendran) was appointed the BJP legislature party leader considering his experience. Now, he has been given a larger responsibility to pilot the party to victory in the Assembly polls of next year," a senior BJP leader said in an interview to PTI.
Nagendran accepted the support he was given during the nomination process.
"I thank all of them and our (central) leaders," he said.
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