Who will replace Annamalai as Tamil Nadu BJP chief? Announcement likely tomorrow

A BJP MLA from Tirunelveli, with a political past in the AIADMK, Nagendran is seen as the frontrunner

Amid Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s visit to Chennai on Friday, the Tamil Nadu BJP unit may name its next president.

According to a report by Indian Express, MLA Nainar Nagendran may replace K Annamalai. The official announcement is expected to be made on Saturday evening after the party’s state executive committee meets.

State president K Annamalai recently publicly said he is “not in the contest for the new state chief” and would continue to serve as “an ordinary cadre”.

“Nainar will file the nomination today between 2 pm and 4 pm, and others may file on his behalf too. Necessary changes to the nomination and election process will be made within the party’s template rules, if required,” a senior leader told BJP.

Who is Nainar Nagendran?

A BJP MLA from Tirunelveli, with a political past in the AIADMK, Nagendran is seen as the frontrunner if the party aims to revive its alliance with the AIADMK.

After Jayalalithaa’s death in 2016, he left the AIADMK in 2017 and joined the BJP. He contested and won the Tirunelveli Assembly seat in 2021 as part of the BJP-AIADMK alliance and was made the legislative party leader. He later contested the 2024 Lok Sabha election

His Mukkulathor (Maravar) caste identity and acceptability to AIADMK leadership keep him firmly in contention, according to IE.

Criteria for becoming BJP chief in Tamil Nadu

The BJP on Thursday issued a formal notification for internal elections in Tamil Nadu. According to the directive, candidates for the post of state president must have served at least 10 years as BJP’s primary members of the BJP, participated in three party organisational elections and be endorsed in writing by 10 elected members of the state general council.

Ahead of the 2026 Tamil Nadu assembly election, Shah’s scheduled visit to the state includes a key meeting with senior state BJP leaders at a private hotel, followed by visits to two temples and a meeting with RSS ideologue in the state, S Gurumurthy.