Nainar on weak wicket as old guard score in TN BJP unit rejig

CHENNAI: The revamped State BJP unit has laid bare the limitations of its relatively new president Nainar Nagenthran, which exposes the difficulty faced by the high command in choosing between ideological loyalty and smart politicking.

The rejig has exemplified a decisive, clear victory for entrenched factionalism and 'power brokers' over Nagenthran's presidential authority.

Widely seen as an opportunity for Nainar to assert his control and build a loyal team, the list released in his name with the approval of the national president JP Nadda showed the imprint of his predecessors and other factional lords who have largely managed to retain their supporters, even muscling out those close to Nainar.

"The list is more Kesava Vinayagan's than Nainar," a senior BJP leader bluntly said, referring to the influential state general secretary (organisation). This RSS nominee is widely believed to have overshadowed the appointments. "Apart from K Gopalsamy, a former MLA and long-time aide, none from Nainar's camp managed to find space in it," the leader told DT Next.

While Nainar was brought in to improve the not-so-good ties with the AIADMK and widen the party's footprint in the south, his non-RSS background and late entry into the party have caught him off guard, virtually reducing him to a president without much authority.

"He was never part of the ideological core. That made it easier for veterans to sideline him," another senior leader said. Kesava Vinayagan successfully persuaded Nainar to defer his sweeping organisational changes to post 2026 to maintain intra-party tranquillity, another insider said. "It wasn't a negotiation—it was an ultimatum. Nainar had to fall in line," a senior functionary said.

The reshuffle has also been criticised as a political balancing act. Actor-politician Khusbu Sundar and former MP Sasikala Pushpa were appointed vice-presidents, ostensibly, to placate influential personalities and silence simmering discontent within Kamalalayam.

Meanwhile, former Congress MLA S Vijayadharani, one of the aspirants overlooked in this round of rejig, exuded confidence that a national-level opportunity awaited her. Dismissing reports of discontent, newly appointed chief spokesperson Narayanan Thirupathy said, "Every party worker matters. More appointments will follow."

The appointments, aside from exposing the internal squabbles unique to such national parties, also bear testimony to an otherwise ruthless BJP national high command's reluctance to show its old guard in TN their place ahead of a crucial election year.

A party which is in the habit of serving the slip to even the high and mighty in the states ahead of elections to brighten its electoral prospects has put its go-getter Tamil Nadu president on a temporary leash, understandably, to strike a balance between its ideological core and alliance bonhomie.

Nainar may use the brief impasse to jack up his chances during MLA ticket allocation, which is a no-brainer. Even BJP leaders conceded that, unlike the organisational revamp, Nainar's writ would run large during the award of MLA tickets in a few months.

The high command might be generous in obliging an electorally seasoned Nainar, a leader who knows the electioneering ways of the Dravidian majors, a trait that also helped him curry favour with the national high command in April last when he was appointed state president.