Leadership Shuffle Ahead? Amit Shah’s Chennai Visit Fuels Buzz Over Annamalai’s Exit From TN BJP Top Post

Union Home Minister Amit Shah is scheduled to land in Chennai at 10:25 PM and will stay at a private hotel in Guindy.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah is set to arrive in Chennai on Thursday night for a two-day visit that has stirred fresh speculation about a potential leadership shake-up within Tamil Nadu unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Shah is scheduled to land at 10:25 PM and will stay at a private hotel in Guindy. His itinerary includes a series of high-level meetings with party leaders on Friday, as well as a personal meeting in Mylapore between 4:40 PM and 5:40 PM, before returning to New Delhi later in the evening, as per reports.

One of the key highlights of his visit is a planned meeting with RSS ideologue and senior journalist S Gurumurthy, as per a report on Times of India. Political observers suggest this interaction may carry weight in shaping the party's future leadership strategy in Tamil Nadu.

Leadership Change On Cards?

Shah's visit comes amid growing chatter about a possible change at the helm of the BJP’s state unit. Nainar Nagendran, the BJP’s legislature party leader in the Tamil Nadu Assembly, is widely tipped to succeed current president K Annamalai, reported The New Indian Express. Fueling this speculation, Nagendran reportedly met Amit Shah in New Delhi earlier this week.

It's indicated that the leadership transition is being discussed as part of the BJP's broader preparations for the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections and efforts to realign party alliances in the state.

Ahead of the visit, Shah also reached out to former Telangana Governor and senior BJP leader Dr. Tamilisai Soundararajan to personally offer condolences on the passing of her father, veteran Congress leader Kumari Ananthan. The gesture has been noted as a mark of personal respect and political goodwill.

Annamalai Bows Out Of Leadership Race

Earlier, adding fuel to the speculation, BJP state president K Annamalai announced that he is not in the race to retain his position. Speaking to the media, Annamalai said that there was no contest in Tamil Nadu BJP and they would select a leader unanimously. However, he declared that he was not in the race.