Tamil Nadu BJP chief race: Saffron party announces election for president prior to Amit Shah's visit

Chennai: Hours before Union Home Minister Amit Shah arrived here on a political visit, the Tamil Nadu BJP on Thursday announced elections for the new state president will be held . The party also mandated only those who have been primary members of the party for 10 years to contest for the post.

This effectively rules out Nainar Nagendran, who was deemed to be the frontrunner after incumbent K Annamalai said he was not in the contest, from the race as he joined the BJP only in 2017 after quitting the AIADMK.

However, the rules were not followed when Annamalai was made the state unit chief in 2021 just 11 months after he joined the BJP.

It is believed that a senior leader of the BJP, who enjoys a good rapport with both the AIADMK and RSS, is likely to be chosen as the leader of the state unit. Not just Nagendran, and Annamalai, the eligibility criteria makes it clear that many seniors of the BJP won’t be eligible to contest for the top post.

“These laws have been existent for a long time. It is the party which chooses whether to follow them or break them. Wait till Friday afternoon,” a senior leader told DH.

Speaking to reporters, Annamalai said there was no connection between Shah’s visit to Chennai and the internal elections.

Shah’s visit assumes significance as it comes just weeks after he confirmed that the BJP was in alliance talks with the AIADMK following a meeting with former chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami.

Besides holding a series of meetings with BJP leaders and functionaries on Friday morning, Shah is scheduled to address a press conference at a luxurious five-star hotel in the afternoon before winding up his visit by meeting RSS ideologue and Tughlaq editor S Gurumurthy. Annamalai met Gurumurthy on Thursday as a precursor to Shah’s visit.

Despite Shah’s public disclosure, the AIADMK has been non-committal on the alliance with the BJP though it is believed that the party leaders will meet Shah either late Thursday or Friday.

Senior leaders of the AIADMK have been asked by Palaniswami to stay put in Chennai for the next few days, fuelling speculation about alliance talks.

Shah’s visit is likely to give shape to the alliance being piloted by the BJP against the DMK dispensation led by Chief Minister M K Stalin – the Home Minister has been maintaining that the NDA will capture power in Tamil Nadu in the 2026 elections.

Stalin has been sharpening his attacks against the BJP and projecting the 2026 contest as one between Tamil Nadu and Delhi (Centre).

“Shah’s visit will throw much-needed light on the alliance question as well as the new leader for TN BJP. His discussions with senior leaders are likely to focus on the party’s strategy for 2026 elections, rather than future plans. He will also meet a couple of alliance leaders, if possible,” a source told DH.

The AIADMK, which entered into an alliance with the BJP in 2019, walked out of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in September 2023 after blaming TN unit chief K Annamalai for its decision.

Despite an open invitation from Shah, Palaniswami kept the BJP at a safe distance in the run-up to and during the 2024 polls, but the DMK’s 40/40 victory, its arithmetically strong alliance, and its projection of the 2026 poll as one between Tamil Nadu versus Delhi seem to have made him change his mind. Both parties drew a blank in last year’s Lok Sabha polls.

With actor Vijay’s Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK), projecting itself as the prime opponent to the ruling DMK, the sources said it becomes imperative for both parties to ensure that the alliance works on the ground