Amit Shah To Be In Chennai Today: What's On Agenda? Finalsiing Annamalai's Replacement & Advancing AIADMK Ties

Amid rumours of the BJP bringing back the AIADMK to the NDA fold, Union Home Minister and BJP's top strategist Amit Shah will be in Chennai on a two-day visit to Tamil Nadu on Thursday.

Why Amit Shah Will Be In Chennai Today?

He will be arriving at the Tamil Nadu's capital on Thursday night. The Union Minister will be reportedly meeting the state leadership for a two-day visit wherein he will be holding talks with the state leadership on the leadership change and the alliance with the AIADMK ahead of the 2026 polls.

Two weeks ago, AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami had met Shah in Delhi, signaling a possible thaw in relations between the two parties.

Shah To Hold Talks With AIADMK

BJP sources have told UNI that Shah is expected to hold key discussions with the party's state core committee, including Tamil Nadu BJP chief K. Annamalai, Legislature Party leader Nainar Nagendran, and Mahila Morcha head Vanathi Srinivasan.

The focus of the talks will be finalizing alliance strategies and gauging opinions on rekindling ties with the AIADMK, which exited the BJP-led NDA ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha.

Shah is expected to hold talks with top AIADMK leaders to advance the alliance discussions, which gained momentum after Palaniswami's recent meeting with him. While AIADMK had previously ruled out any future partnership with the BJP, both parties now share the common goal of ousting the ruling DMK, paving the way for renewed cooperation.

Annamalai Replacement

Another key agenda is the leadership change in the Tamil Nadu BJP unit, with Annamalai having already stated he won't seek re-election as state chief. Nainar Nagendran is reportedly the front-runner for the post following his recent meetings with the BJP high command in Delhi. While reports had claimed that EPS had laid a condition before the BJP central leadership to replace Annamalai in order to revive the alliance, sources deny that AIADMK pressured the BJP to replace Annamalai, whose controversial remarks about Annadurai and Jayalalithaa had earlier strained relations.

However, Annamalai has already announced that he is not in the race for the Tamil Nadu BJP President. He is expected to be made a Union Minister.

Meanwhile, the question of accommodating ousted AIADMK leader O. Panneerselvam-locked in a legal battle with Palaniswami over the party's symbol-remains unresolved, with BJP leadership expected to handle the matter.

Though Palaniswami has said any alliance decision will be announced six months before the polls, Shah's visit could bring more clarity on whether the two parties will join forces to challenge the DMK in 2026.

Shah may also meet Thuglak magazine editor S. Gurumurthy, a publication founded by the late Cho Ramaswamy, who was a key advisor to former AIADMK leader J. Jayalalithaa, UNI reported.