Chennai, Apr 10 (Reporter) Days after AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami met him triggering speculations of revival of alliance for the crucial 2026 Assembly polls, BJP's master election strategist and Union Home Minister Amit Shah landed in Chennai on a two-day visit late on Thursday night. Mr Amit Shah arrived at around 2300 hrs and was accorded a rousing reception at the airport by senior party leaders. In a social media post, the BJP wrote "TN welcomes Union Home Minister Amit Shah with love and affection". Mr Shah arrives with a twin agenda of discussing and taking forward the alliance strategy for the crucial 2026 Assembly polls and also decide on identifying the new Chief of Tamil Nadu BJP Unit, after incumbent K Annamalai ruled himself out of the race, in the elections to be held on Saturday at a private marriage hall. However, Mr Annamalai sought to downplay the visit, saying it was not pertained to the upcoming elections but a routine visit to take stock of the political situation and discuss the ground realities. "It is a routine visit and not related to the 2026 elections or alliance", he told reporters. "Home Minister Amit Shah is coming to meet the leaders of BJP and to take stock of what is happening in the state...He will be here till tomorrow... He often comes to the state to take ground-level feedback", Mr Annamalai said. However, reports said Mr Shah was expected to have a series of meeting all through the night and was also expected to meet key potential alliance party leaders, including from the AIADMK, with which it is keen to revive its ties after 2023 in a bid to cobble up a strong alliance to unseat the ruling DMK from power. During his visit, which the sources said was purely to discuss the alliance formula, he was expected to hold consultations with the core committee of the BJP in which senior leaders, including State Chief K Annamalai, BJP Legislature Party Leader Nainar Nagendran and MLAs including Mahila Morcha Chief Ms Vanathi Srinivasan are expected to participate. Mr Shah was expected to hold wide ranging consultations to finalise the alliance strategy and elicit their views on reviving ties with the main Opposition AIADMK, which had walked out of the BJP-led NDA in the run up to the 2024 Lok Sabha polls following some differences of opinion with Mr Annamalai. Mr Shah was also expected to meet Thuglaq Tamil magazine editor S.Gurumuthy. The magazine was started by late Cho.S.Ramaswamy who had been the political advisor to late AIADMK leaer J Jayalalithaa. With meetings scheduled with senior party leaders, RSS ideologue S Gurumurthy and the alliance revival with the AIADMK,the BJP sources said his visit will be a potential gamechanger in TN political landscape. An RSS ideologue, Gurumurthy may offer Shah an electoral roadmap for NDA for the elections and the alliance that could help BJP gain a strong foothold in the State. The sources also said there was a likelihood of Mr Shah meeting top AIADMK leaders to further carry forward the revival of ties, which was said to have taken a concrete shape during Mr Palaniswami's meeting with Mr Amit Shah in New Delhi recently. A post by Mr Shah after his meeting with Mr Palaniswami that a NDA will form the government will be in place strengthened the speculation on alliance revival. In a single line post, Mr Shah wrote in Hindi and Tamil "After the formation of NDA government in Tamil Nadu in 2026, liquor flow and the cyclone of corruption will come to an end", virtually stating the ties is all set for revival with the AIADMK. If the sources are to be believed the ground work has been done and Mr Amit Shah's visit was expected give a further fillip to renew ties with the Dravidian major. During the visit, the issue of change of leadership in the Tamil Nadu unit is also expected to figure in the consultations, in the context of incumbent Mr Annamalai categorically stating that he was not in the race in the elections for electing the next BJP TN Unit Chief and would serve the party as an ordinary cadre. The sources said the issue of new leadership for BJP TN unit has almost been settled and it would be finalised during Mr Amit Shah's visit as the filing of nominations for the polls would be held tomorrow and the elections, the next day. In a statement, BJP State Vice-President and Election Officer M Chakravarthy invited nominations from aspiring candidates wishing to contest for the posts of State President and National General Council. He said the those candidates who had served as a primary member of the party for a minimum period of ten years alone would qualify to contest for the post of President's elections and they should be proposed by 10 State General Council members in writing. They said BJP Tirunelveli MLA and Floor Leader in the State Assembly Nainar Nagendran has emerged as the front runner for the post of BJP TN Chief and this was said to have been almost decided after his visit to New Delhi a few days back where he met the top party leadership. However, a political observer said to be close to BJP in a TV debate said Mr Nagendran has little choice of becoming the State Unit Chief considering that he has Dravidian background having been with the AIADMK for long. He also claimed that his elevation has not got the stamp of approval from RSS as he was not a member of the party for 10 years, as per BJP rules to become President, while hinting that former Union Minister and BJP's senior most leader in TN Pon Radhakrishnan might return to helm the party in the elections, while another political observer did not rule out Mr Annamalai being retained. A clear picture was expected to emerge after Mr Shah's consultations with the Party leaders. The sources however, denied that there was no pressure exerted by the AIADMK to replace Mr Annamalai, whose alleged critical remarks of former CM Ms J Jayalalithaa turned out to be the last straw in the rather tumultous ties that came to an end in 2023. Since then the AIADMK had been reiterating that it would never have any tie-up with the saffron party for the 2026 Assembly polls and also in the future. But with both the BJP and AIADMK travelling with the single agenda of unseating the ruling DMK from power, the revival of ties between the two parties has gained momentum and has also made significant headway. Mr Amit Shah's visit could throw more clarity, though Mr Palaniswami said a decision on alliance would be announced at least six months prior to the Assembly polls, while not ruling out revival of ties with the BJP. On the question of accommodating ousted AIADMK leader O Panneerselvam, who has turned a bete noire to Mr Palaniswami and TTV Dhinakaran of AMMK, nephew of Ms Sasikala, a close aide of Ms Jayalalithaa, the sources said it would be handled by the BJP leadership as Mr Palaniswami was not inclined to take them along. Amid this, in view of Mr Shah's visit, Mr Panneerselvam flew down from Madurai to the city this evening and is expected to have an audience with him. Mr Shah's visit assumed political significance as it comes at a time when the political discourse in the Dravidian heartland has taken a dramatic turn. The DMK has already set a narrative for the poll, putting both the AIADMK and the BJP on the backfoot over Hindi imposition through the three-language formula, delimitation of Lok Sabha constituencies and discriminatory financial devolution. Added to this, the DMK government headed MK Stalin received a shot in the arm ahead of the polls with the Supreme Court ordering deeming 10 Bills, referred to the President, as having received assent from the Governor. The sudden development in PMK, which faced 2024 lok sabha polls along with BJP, after Party Founder removed his son and Rajya Sabha MP Dr Anbumani from the Party President post and declaring himself as the PMK Chief, and his non-commital remarks that the alliance issue with the BJP would be decided at the Executive Committee meeting, was also expected to figure during the consultations. Mr Amit Shah is also expected to meet former State BJP Chief and former Telangana Governor Ms Tamilisai Soundararajan, whose father and veteran Congress leader Kumari Ananthan passed away yesterday, to offer his condolences to her and her family...////...