Nainar Nagendran will be the new Tamil Nadu BJP president, as he was the only one to file a nomination for the post today. Annamalai proposed Nagendra's name, and other party leaders endorsed it. The official announcement of his appointment as president will be made tomorrow (April 12) from the party headquarters in Delhi.
BJP legislator from Tamil Nadu’s Tirunelveli constituency, Nainar Nagendran, filed his nomination papers to contest the party president’s election on Friday (April 11).
After filing his nomination for Tamil Nadu BJP President election, state BJP Vice President Nainar Nagenthiran said, " As per party's suggestion, I have filed nomination for State President post. You have to ask senior leaders about the final decision".
Who is Nainar Nagendran?
Nagendran, currently the state vice president, was formerly with the AIADMK. He was the first aspirant to arrive at the BJP state headquarters, Kamalalayam, in T Nagar, and file the nomination.
His name was proposed by the current party chief K Annamalai, Union Minister L Murugan, former Union Minister Pon Radhakrishnan, and party lawmaker and Mahila Morcha President Vanathi Srinivasan, the party said. Nagendran is likely to be announced as the new state president, succeeding Annamalai.
The MLA, representing Tirunelveli constituency, was born in Vadiveeswaram in neighbouring Kanyakumari district. He joined the BJP in 2017 in the presence of party leader Amit Shah, after being sidelined in the AIADMK and was later appointed as BJP’s state vice president. He won from Tirunelveli thrice in the 2001, 2011 and 2021 elections - twice on AIADMK ticket and the third time in 2021 on BJP ticket. He unsuccessfully contested from Tirunelveli in 2006 and 2016 Assembly elections and in the 2019 and 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
He stoked a controversy in 2018 when he announced a reward of Rs 10 crore to anyone who chopped the tongue of Tamil lyricist Vairamuthu for making a controversial remark on Goddess Andal. And he warned those speaking ill of Hinduism with dire consequences. Nagendran courted arrest along with Hindu Munnani Vice President VC Jayabalan for the alleged hate speech.
His nomination for TN BJP president election was proposed by ten senior functionaries, including the outgoing chief. "He (Nagendran) was made the BJP legislature party leader owing to his experience. Now he has been entrusted with a greater role to steer the party to victory in the Assembly election next year," a BJP senior leader told media.
Nagendran himself admitted that he contested the party president’s election after ten leaders backed his nomination. "I thank all of them and our (central) leaders," he said.