K Annamalai likely to be named Tamil Nadu BJP general secretary after party president's election: Report

The announcement is likely to follow the selection of the new BJP president next month.

Annamalai, a 40-year-old former IPS officer from the Karnataka cadre, declined to comment when approached.

“When he stepped down from the Tamil Nadu BJP president’s post in April to pave the way for an alliance with the AIADMK, he was promised a national-level role,” sources said told the news puclication.

Nainar Nagenthran, a sitting MLA, took over as state chief after his resignation.

Although the BJP failed to win any seats in Tamil Nadu during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Annamalai was credited with boosting the party’s vote share from 3% to 11%, despite the absence of alliances with either the DMK or the AIADMK — a feat that has drawn praise within the party.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah has publicly stated multiple times that Annamalai would have a key role in Tamil Nadu politics and that he would also be entrusted with national responsibilities.

Just a day after he stepped down, Annamalai was appointed to the BJP’s national council.

Tamil Nadu BJP vice-president Narayanan Thirupathy recently hinted at a likely promotion, saying, “National office-bearers would be appointed after the election of the national president,” and added that the party “believes that Annamalai is worthy of it.”

Since stepping down as state chief, Annamalai has largely kept a low profile, surfacing recently only to sharply react to AIADMK leader Edappadi K Palaniswami’s claim that his party would win an outright majority in the 2026 Assembly polls.

“Annamalai has been rather quiet and has told media persons that he will speak from August onwards. He portrays himself as BJP karyakarta and has restricted himself to meetings in his stronghold of western TN after he stepped down as party president. He does not skip even the smallest party-related gathering,” sources told TNIE.

He belongs to the Gounder community, a politically influential OBC group in Tamil Nadu.