Overview

• Tamil Nadu BJP chief K Annamalai has announced he is not in the running for the state president role, emphasizing the party’s tradition of unanimous leadership selection.
• AIADMK leader Edappadi K Palaniswami has reportedly conditioned the revival of the BJP-AIADMK alliance on Annamalai’s removal from the state leadership position.
• The BJP is expected to announce a new Tamil Nadu state president within weeks, as part of its broader strategy to strengthen its position in the state.
• Annamalai’s leadership has been a source of tension with AIADMK, stemming from his criticism of AIADMK leaders and his perceived efforts to project BJP as the primary opposition in Tamil Nadu.
• The BJP and AIADMK are recalibrating strategies to challenge DMK’s dominance in the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, with alliance discussions still speculative.