CHENNAI: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday announced key appointments to lead its campaign for the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, signalling an early and structured push to strengthen its presence in the state.

In a statement issued by National General Secretary Arun Singh, the party said BJP National President JP Nadda has appointed two senior leaders to spearhead poll preparations.

Baijayant ‘Jay’ Panda, Member of Parliament (Lok Sabha) and BJP's National Vice President, has been named the election in-charge for Tamil Nadu.

He will be assisted by Murlidhar Mohol, Minister of State for Cooperation and Civil Aviation in the Union government, who takes charge as election co-in-charge. Both appointments take effect immediately.

Party sources said the decision underscores the central leadership’s intent to give the Tamil Nadu campaign strong strategic direction and national-level backing.

The BJP, which is contesting the elections in alliance with the AIADMK, is seeking to consolidate its support base while expanding its influence across districts.

State BJP president Nainar Nagenthran has been working with the party’s grassroots structure to boost booth-level committees and strengthen outreach programmes.

Union ministers Dharmendra Pradhan and Bhupender Yadav, both key OBC faces and most seasoned poll managers of the party, are in charge of the Assembly elections in Bihar and Bengal, respectively.