Senior leader Nainar Nagendran files nomination for TN BJP President's post

Chennai, April 11 (IANS) Nainar Nagendran, the Tamil Nadu BJP Vice President and sitting MLA from the Tirunelveli constituency, has filed his nomination for the party’s state President's post.

His nomination was proposed by prominent party leaders, including current state BJP President K. Annamalai, Union Minister L. Murugan, former Union Minister Pon Radhakrishnan, and Mahila Morcha President and MLA Vanathi Srinivasan.

Party sources indicate that Nagendran is likely to be officially announced as the next state President, succeeding Annamalai.

Nagendran currently serves as the legislature party leader of the BJP in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly.

He previously held the position of Tamil Nadu Minister from May 19, 2001, to May 12, 2006, during the administrations of former Chief Ministers J. Jayalalithaa and O. Panneerselvam.

A seasoned politician, Nagendran was elected to the Tamil Nadu Assembly from the Tirunelveli constituency in 2006 and 2011 as an AIADMK candidate, and again in 2021 as a BJP candidate.

He has been serving as the BJP Tamil Nadu Vice President since July 3, 2020.

Meanwhile, the political atmosphere in Chennai has intensified with the arrival of Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

HM Shah met RSS ideologue S. Gurumurthy at his Mylapore residence for a closed-door discussion, underlining the strategic significance of his visit.

A crucial meeting is also scheduled between HM Shah and AIADMK General Secretary and former Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami (EPS), along with senior AIADMK leaders.

The meeting is widely seen as pivotal in exploring the possibility of reviving the BJP-AIADMK alliance ahead of the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections.

HM Shah and EPS had previously met in New Delhi, accompanied by senior AIADMK leaders S.P. Velumani and K.P. Munusamy. That meeting had already sparked speculation about a potential alliance between the two parties.

Reports suggest that several senior RSS leaders have been urging the BJP’s central leadership to rekindle ties with a major Dravidian party — identifying AIADMK as the only viable partner, given the DMK’s opposing stance.

These RSS functionaries are said to be advocating for an early alliance to enable adequate ground-level coordination and campaign planning ahead of 2026.

According to insiders, EPS has conveyed a request to HM Shah, urging him to consider replacing Annamalai as state BJP President to improve prospects for a renewed alliance.

In a surprising development, Annamalai announced on April 4 that he will not be seeking any leadership position going forward. He reiterated his commitment to serve the party as a loyal cadre, seemingly clearing the path for a leadership transition.

--IANS

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