Exit Annamalai, Nainar Nagenthran takes reins of Tamil Nadu BJP, day after AIADMK deal

Nagenthran replaces K Annamalai, a firebrand BJP leader who drew the spotlight to the party in a state where it has a limited presence. The BJP has framed Annamalai’s exit as part of a calculated strategy to recalibrate the party’s leadership profile in the state, particularly in view of the alliance with the AIADMK.

In his acceptance speech following the state BJP’s high-level meeting in Chennai, Nagenthran paid tribute to a long line of state BJP leaders and framed his appointment as the final ritual in a decades-long process of party-building.

“Pon Radhakrishnan, H Raja, Tamilisai Soundararajan, C P Radhakrishnan — they all built the party brick by brick. L Murugan raised the domes further with his Vel Yatra. Vanathi Srinivasan strengthened the party with her key role at the top of the party’s women’s wing. And above all of them, L Ganesan built the party’s core. But above all that, Annamalai, through his En Mann, En Makkal Yatra, did not just complete the domes — he even erected the kalasam (an important symbol in a temple structure),” he said, using a temple metaphor that brought those gathered to their feet.

“The job given to me is to do the kumbabhishekam (a ritual of purification, infusing the divine energy) into the structure of this temple in 2026,” Nagenthran said. “There is a saying — when time cannot make something happen, the stars will. And now, the stars are falling in line.”

In a lighthearted moment, he turned to the party’s Tamil Nadu in-charge and national secretary Arvind Menon and said jokingly, “He was born in Kerala and speaks in Hindi here. If he had spoken in Malayalam, people here would’ve understood better. I request him to speak in Malayalam next time,” drawing laughter from the audience.

Reflecting on his own journey, Nagenthran recalled how senior BJP leader Pon Radhakrishnan, known to his family, had first taken him to Delhi to meet Amit Shah eight years ago. “After joining, I had some grievances. Despite my seniority from the AIADMK, I wasn’t given big posts. But after getting to know the RSS, those feelings disappeared. Let me also thank (RSS founder) K B Hedgewar for guiding me to this path,” he said.

In a pointed contrast to his predecessor Annamalai, he said, “Even if I take this up with full responsibility, I must admit I have worries. It’s a challenge (of meeting expectations). Because Annamalai had set the standards here, a style of his own. He was a tornado. I can only be a breeze, I would say,” he said.

He closed his speech with two final gestures. First, a spirited rendition of a devotional RSS song. Then, turning to Annamalai, he said, “Let me raise one small demand — you should start wearing chappals now. You said you’d only wear them after a change in government. Amit Shah has already laid the foundation of the NDA government. The time has come. The stars are aligned. You can wear your chappals now, without a second thought,” he said.

Nagenthran’s nomination was backed by senior leaders including Annamalai, L Murugan, Pon Radhakrishnan, H Raja, Vanathi Srinivasan, and several others.

A former minister in the AIADMK government under Jayalalithaa from 2001 to 2006, Nagenthran joined the BJP in 2017 shortly after the latter’s demise.

He has since served as state BJP vice-president and its Legislature Party leader in the state Assembly.

Annamalai’s exit was, according to BJP leaders, part of the party’s strategy to rebalance its leadership’s caste equations in Tamil Nadu, as both Annamalai and EPS belong to the Gounder community. Nagenthran is a prominent Thevar community leader from Tirunelveli in the state’s southern belt and is known to be close to the BJP leadership.

Nagenthran contested and won the Tirunelveli Assembly seat in 2021 as part of the BJP-AIADMK alliance and later contested the 2024 Lok Sabha election, though unsuccessfully. Shah had personally campaigned for him in 2021, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended two of his public meetings during the 2024 Lok Sabha campaign.

Nagenthran is the most senior of the BJP’s four MLAs in Tamil Nadu. He has maintained a relatively low-profile, non-confrontational public image – unlike Annamalai, whose aggressive politics hugely improved the BJP’s visibility while also leading to friction with key alliance partners. Nagenthran’s command and respect among the minority communities in his region, even after joining the BJP, also helped him win the 2021 polls.

On Friday, Shah, in a public post indicating Nagenthran’s elevation, praised Annamalai’s tenure: “Whether it is carrying the policies of PM Modi ji to the people or the programmes of the party from village to village, Annamalai ji’s contribution has been unprecedented. The BJP will leverage Annamalai ji’s organisational skills in the party’s national framework.”