Chennai, Apr 9 (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 mastr election strategist and Union Home Minister Amit Shah will be arriving in Tamil Nadu on a two-day visit on Thursday night. BJP sources confirmed to UNI tonight that Mr Shah will arrive at around 2245 hrs tomorrow. 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 Thugalq 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. 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. 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 an the announcement should have come either last night or today. But there seems to be some delay. "It (the official announcement) will come soon", they added. They said Mr Nainar Nagendran seemed to be 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. 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, the sources said it would be handled by the BJP leadership, though both of them were fighting a legal battle seeking to wrest the party flag and symbol...////...