A major leadership change might happen in the Tamil Nadu BJP after Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s Tamil Nadu visit today. His visit has created strong buzz in political circles, especially with ongoing talks about a new state BJP president.
Shah’s schedule includes an important meeting with senior state BJP leaders at a private hotel, visits to two temples, and a meeting with RSS ideologue S Gurumurthy. The timing of his visit is important as it comes just as nominations open for the BJP state president post.
There is a lot of speculation that K Annamalai, the current state president and one of BJP’s top leaders in the South, might be replaced. Annamalai recently said he won’t contest for the leadership post. This came after reports that AIADMK leader Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS) met Amit Shah last month and requested that Annamalai be removed or his powers reduced. After the meeting, EPS seemed quite happy, adding fuel to the rumours.
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Although the BJP said Amit Shah’s Tamil Nadu visit is just a routine party event, insiders believe it is tied to the leadership issue. Annamalai, reacting to the situation, said anyone could meet the Home Minister to discuss law and order matters. Still, the situation escalated quickly, leading to Annamalai stepping away from the leadership race.
Other names that were considered for the top job included Nainar Nagendran, Tamilisai Soundararajan, and Vanathi Srinivasan. Tamilisai has already served in the position before. But current BJP rules say a candidate must have been a basic member for at least 10 years. This rule disqualifies both Nagendran (joined in 2017) and Annamalai (joined in 2021). However, party sources say these rules can be changed if needed.
Shah’s meeting with Gurumurthy is also considered important. Gurumurthy is known to have influenced major political decisions in Tamil Nadu, including the AIADMK split and the rise of Annamalai within BJP. Annamalai also met Gurumurthy just a day before Shah’s visit.
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Sources now say the BJP is preparing to form a strong alliance with the AIADMK under the NDA, and the new state BJP president will likely reflect this decision.
