Chennai: In a significant leadership reshuffle, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has appointed three-time Tirunelveli MLA Nainar Nagendran as the new president of its Tamil Nadu unit, replacing K Annamalai. The change comes as the party attempts to regain political ground in the state ahead of next year’s Assembly elections.
Nagendran, a former AIADMK leader who joined the BJP after winning the Tirunelveli seat in 2001 and 2011 on an AIADMK ticket, is seen as a strategic pick. His appointment is expected to smoothen the BJP’s renewed alliance with the AIADMK, Tamil Nadu’s primary opposition party—a move that had reportedly hinged on Annamalai stepping down.
Annamalai’s tenure was marked by tensions with the AIADMK, as he frequently challenged the alliance and made controversial remarks about its late icons, MG Ramachandran and J Jayalalithaa. While seen as a firebrand leader, his aggressive style is believed to have strained ties with potential allies.
BJP sources have clarified that Annamalai’s exit is not a demotion but part of a larger strategic repositioning. Speculation is rife that he may be elevated to a broader organisational or national role. Union Home Minister Amit Shah praised Annamalai’s contributions, calling his work in Tamil Nadu “commendable” and crucial to expanding the party’s reach.
Speaking on the alliance, Shah emphasized that the AIADMK made no conditions and the BJP will not interfere in its internal affairs, calling the partnership “mutually beneficial.”
The BJP-AIADMK combine has struggled electorally in the state. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP failed to secure any seats, and the AIADMK managed only one. In the 2021 Assembly polls, the DMK-led alliance won a landslide victory with 159 of 234 seats. Their split in 2023, followed by the BJP’s solo run in 2024, ended in a complete wipeout for both parties.
Nagendran’s leadership is now expected to steer the BJP into a more cooperative phase with the AIADMK, potentially strengthening the NDA’s position in Tamil Nadu politics.
