CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu BJP President K. Annamalai has announced that he will step down from the post, and that the party will elect a new president as part of an organizational reshuffle. Annamalai clarified that there is no internation competition within the Tamil Nadu BJP and that the new leader will be chosen unanimously. The announcement comes amid ongoing discussions about reviving the BJP-AIADMK alliance for the upcoming Assembly elections scheduled for next year.

Reports suggest that during a recent meeting, AIADMK leader Edappadi K. Palaniswami had requested Union Home Minister Amit Shah to replace Annamalai if the alliance is to be renewed. There is a possibility that Palaniswami may meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the latter's visit to Tamil Nadu on the 6th of this month. Alliance talks are expected to take place during the visit, and the new BJP state president may be announced afterward.