BJP’s BL Santhosh To Visit Chennai Amid Alliance Unease In Tamil Nadu

BJP national general secretary (organisation) BL Santhosh is scheduled to visit Chennai on 16 September to review the party’s preparations for next year’s assembly elections and address strains within the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in Tamil Nadu, the Economic Times reported.

Santhosh is expected to meet senior BJP leaders, office-bearers, and workers to assess organisational challenges and improve coordination among alliance partners. His visit follows weeks of turbulence in the state’s opposition bloc, which includes the BJP, PMK and AIADMK.

Tensions within the PMK escalated after founder S Ramadoss expelled his son and former state president Anbumani Ramadoss, who was viewed as supportive of closer ties with the BJP. The development has cast uncertainty over the PMK’s stance in the NDA.

Meanwhile, AIADMK leader K A Sengottaiyan’s recent meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi has reportedly stirred unease in the party led by Edappadi Palaniswami, exposing rifts in the camp. Sengottaiyan was subsequently removed from his party posts after publicly calling for the reunification of various factions of the party. Along with him, six district-level functionaries loyal to Sengottaiyan were also removed.

Inside the BJP, too, factional issues remain. Former state chief K Annamalai is yet to find a new role after stepping down, and several senior functionaries have reportedly skipped strategy meetings convened by current president Nainar Nagendran.

The Economic Times reported, citing party sources, that Santhosh’s intervention, backed by Amit Shah’s oversight of alliance-building, is aimed at easing frictions and consolidating the NDA’s position before the polls.

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