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Speculation about an alliance between the Bharatiya Janata Party and All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam is growing as K Annamalai, the BJP’s Tamil Nadu president, arrived in Delhi on Thursday.
His visit follows a meeting between AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS) and Union Home Minister Amit Shah the day before.
This has sparked renewed interest in political circles, especially with BJP leaders in Tamil Nadu, including former Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan, advocating for AIADMK’s return to the National Democratic Alliance.
Annamalai, who has recently softened his approach to the AIADMK, is now in Delhi, where he is expected to meet with Shah.
This meeting is being closely watched as it may indicate a shift in the BJP’s stance towards the AIADMK, particularly ahead of the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections.
Also read: AIADMK-BJP alliance buzz grows after EPS visits Delhi
EPS, however, has made it clear that he is not yet ready to revive the alliance with the BJP. He emphasised that his discussions with Shah focused only on state issues.
While he continues to criticise the DMK as the AIADMK’s primary adversary, EPS has not completely ruled out the possibility of a BJP-AIADMK alliance. He suggested that such a decision could be made closer to the elections.
Although the AIADMK left the NDA ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, EPS has refrained from criticising the Union government or the BJP’s leadership. Both EPS and Annamalai, who belong to the OBC Goundar community in Tamil Nadu’s Kongu Belt, are vying for influence in the region, traditionally a stronghold of the AIADMK.
