Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that BJP leader and former Tamil Nadu party chief, K Annamalai, will play an important role in the state politics and will also be given responsibilities at the national level.

This isn’t the first time Shah has hinted at a bigger role for Annamalai beyond Tamil Nadu. Back in April, after Annamalai stepped down as the state BJP president and Nainar Nagendran was appointed his successor, Shah had lauded his tenure.

Describing Annamalai’s leadership as “commendable,” Shah noted his efforts in expanding the party’s footprint in Tamil Nadu and taking Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s policies to the grassroots. “The BJP will leverage Annamalai Ji’s organisational skills in the party’s national framework,” Shah had posted on X.

“As the President of the Tamil Nadu BJP unit, Shri K Annamalai Ji has made commendable accomplishments… The BJP will leverage Annamalai Ji’s organisational skills in the party’s national framework,” Shah had posted on X at the time.

In his latest interview with a regional daily, Shah said the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), comprising the BJP and AIADMK, will form the government in Tamil Nadu after the 2026 Assembly elections.

“The NDA alliance of the BJP and the AIADMK is going to form a government in Tamil Nadu next year,” Shah said, adding that the Chief Ministerial candidate will be from the AIADMK. However, he did not name AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami directly.

Shah’s remarks are significant, as they signal the possibility of a national party becoming a stakeholder in Tamil Nadu’s governance, something that has not happened since the dominance of Dravidian parties began in 1967.

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