Nainar Nagenthiran succeeds Annamalai as Tamil Nadu BJP president

NEW DELHI: Bharatiya Janata Party on Saturday announced Nainar Nagenthiran as its new party president for Tamil Nadu unit. Nagenthiran succeeds K Annamalai as the 13th president of the Tamil Nadu BJP.

"BJP is a very big party with 1000 and above MLAs and 300 and above MPs, and I am very proud to become a state president of this party," Nagenthiran said.

#WATCH | Chennai, Tamil Nadu: BJP MLA Nainar Nagendran elected as the president of Tamil Nadu BJP unit; former state unit president K Annamalai congratulates him pic.twitter.com/YsELg2UECW

— ANI (@ANI) April 12, 2025

This comes a day after the saffron party announced its alliance with AIADMK ahead of the 2026 assembly elections in the presence of Union home minister Amit Shah.

Nainar Nagendran, who is all set to be the Tamil Nadu BJP president, says, "BJP is a very big party with 1000 and above MLAs and 300 and above MPs, and I am very proud to become a state president of this party."

On the BJP-AIADMK alliance, he says, "BJP and AIADMK is a natural… pic.twitter.com/ZmW0V4xO5t

— ANI (@ANI) April 12, 2025

How Nainar won race for BJP chief

K Annamalai reportedly expressed reluctance to continue in his role after the party’s national leadership moved to revive its alliance with the AIADMK. While some sources claim the AIADMK demanded his removal, both parties have denied this.

Nagenthran, who joined the BJP in 2017, gained prominence under mentor V Karuppasamy Pandian and made headlines in 2018 for threatening lyricist Vairamuthu over remarks about Goddess Andal.

Amit Shah on Friday confirmed that the BJP had received Nagenthiran's nomination for the top post.

"The nomination for the post of Tamil Nadu BJP State President has been received only from Mr @NainarBJP. As the Tamil Nadu BJP President , Mr @annamalai_k has made commendable achievements. Whether it is taking the policies of Prime Minister Mr @narendramodi to the people, or taking the party's projects village by village, Mr Annamalai's contribution is immense. The BJP will utilize Mr Annamalai's organizational skills in the party's national structure," he said.

தமிழ்நாடு பாஜக மாநிலத்தலைவர் பொறுப்புக்கு திரு.@NainarBJP அவர்களிடமிருந்து மட்டுமே பரிந்துரை பெறப்பட்டுள்ளது.

தமிழ்நாடு பாஜக தலைவராக, திரு.@annamalai_k அவர்கள் பாராட்டத்தக்க சாதனைகளைச் செய்துள்ளார். பிரதமர் திரு.@narendramodi அவர்களின் கொள்கைகளை மக்களிடம் கொண்டு செல்வதாக…

— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) April 11, 2025

Why Nagenthran is BJP’s best bet for Tamil Nadu chief

Having served as a cabinet minister in the AIADMK government from 2001 to 2006, Nagendran is seen as a natural link between the two parties in the renewed alliance.

He is the BJP MLA from Tirunelveli in Tamil Nadu and had earlier hinted at a possible alliance with the AIADMK, stating that there was no need to pressure the party into an agreement and that a simple dialogue with EPS would suffice to forge a partnership.

At the time, then BJP president Annamalai distanced himself from the remark, claiming it was misinterpreted. He later reaffirmed his commitment to the party, saying he was willing to work as a grassroots BJP cadre and had joined politics to serve Tamil Nadu, not to seek power.