In a significant development for Tamil Nadu’s political landscape, senior BJP leader and MLA from Tirunelveli, Nainar Nagendran, has been appointed the new president of the party’s state unit. The announcement was confirmed by Union Home Minister Amit Shah during his visit to Chennai. “The Tamil Nadu BJP has received a nomination for the post of state president only from Shri Nainar Nagendran,” Shah posted on X, confirming Nagendran's unopposed elevation.

Nagendran’s appointment comes at a time when the BJP has officially rekindled its alliance with the AIADMK to jointly contest the upcoming 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections. A seasoned politician, Nagendran began his career with the AIADMK and served as Tamil Nadu’s transport minister from 2001 to 2006. He later joined the BJP in 2017 following the demise of former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa.

A three-time MLA from Tirunelveli, Nagendran won the seat twice as an AIADMK candidate (2006, 2011) and again in 2021 on a BJP ticket, defeating the DMK candidate by a margin of 23,107 votes. He is currently the seniormost BJP MLA in the Tamil Nadu Assembly and has served as the party’s legislative leader in the state as well as its vice president since 2020.

His elevation to the post was backed by key party figures, including outgoing state president K Annamalai, Union Minister L Murugan, former Union Minister Pon Radhakrishnan, and BJP Mahila Morcha chief Vanathi Srinivasan.