Amit Shah in Chennai for two days; visit sparks speculation about change in BJP state leadership

Chennai: Talk about BJP MLA Nainar Nagenthran becoming next state president of the BJP got louder on the eve of Union home minister Amit Shah's visit to Chennai. Nagenthran was in Delhi on Monday on an invitation from the party high command where he called on leaders, including Amit Shah, highly placed sources said.
Shah is visiting Chennai for two days from Thursday night, with a meeting scheduled with RSS ideologue and journalist Gurumurthy, alongside meetings with other leaders. This visit comes amid speculation about Nainar Nagenthran replacing K Annamalai as the Tamil Nadu BJP president.
Amit Shah will be staying in a private hotel in Guindy in Chennai. His meeting with Gurumurthy is scheduled for Friday at 4pm at his Mylapore residence. "The meeting is expected to focus on the current political scenario in Tamil Nadu and the country," said a source privy to the developments. Shah's visit follows a recent meeting with an AIADMK delegation led by Edappadi K Palaniswami in Delhi. At the Times Now summit, Shah had confirmed discussions with AIADMK and indicated an announcement would be made at the appropriate time.
While AIADMK is reportedly keen on Annamalai's exit to facilitate a smoother alliance between the two parties, no meeting between AIADMK leaders and Shah is planned during this Chennai visit.
Nagenthran is currently in Tirunelveli and missed three days of assembly session. "Nagenthran is all set to take over as chief in Tamil Nadu. It is just a matter of time for the announcement by the leadership," a senior leader said.
There is speculation within the party that Annamalai may be offered a position in the Union cabinet during the next reshuffle. Annamalai himself acknowledged last week that he was not in the race for a second term as state president. He asserted that he would not leave "this land" and expressed a desire to remain active in the field.