Chennai, April 12, 2025 – Union Home Minister Amit Shah squashed rumors Friday, confirming Tamil Nadu BJP chief K Annamalai isn’t going anywhere despite the party’s fresh alliance with AIADMK for the 2026 state polls under Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS). Shah’s Chennai presser, post a Thursday night deal with EPS, framed the NDA reunion as a DMK-killer, but Annamalai’s role stole the spotlight after whispers of his exit swirled.
“He’s still our state president—dynamic, committed,” Shah told reporters, per NDTV, dousing talk that Annamalai’s 2023 jabs at AIADMK icons like Jayalalithaa forced a leadership swap. Nainar Nagendran’s nomination for the post had fueled buzz, but Shah clarified—Nagendran’s a contender, not a done deal (The Indian Express). “We’re united—EPS leads locally, Modi nationally,” he added, eyeing a 2026 rout of DMK’s 159-seat grip (ECI, 2021).
The BJP-AIADMK split in 2023 tanked both—BJP’s 11.24% and AIADMK’s 20.46% in 2024 Lok Sabha polls flopped (The Hindu). EPS, burned by Vijay’s TVK snub, bent for Shah’s Rs 10,000 crore flood aid pitch (Times of India). Annamalai, the ex-IPS firebrand, doubled Tamil Nadu’s BJP votes since 2021—his Coimbatore rallies draw thousands (India Today). Posts on X cheer, “Annamalai’s the spark!”—others scoff, “EPS clipped his wings.”
This isn’t just optics—DMK’s caste math and Stalin’s welfare sops loom large. Annamalai’s Vellalar base clashes with EPS’s Gounders, but Shah’s banking on their draw—BJP wants 50 of 234 seats (The Economic Times). For India, it’s BJP’s southern chess move—can Annamalai’s grit mesh with EPS’s clout, or crack under old grudges?
