Last week, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the AIADMK announced a fresh alliance for the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly election.
This week, however, the AIADMK (All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam) appeared to throw a wrench into those plans. Party leader Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS) suggested that while the alliance is in place for the election, there will be no coalition government if they win.
EPS said the alliance with the BJP is “only for the election,” indicating a clear reluctance to share power post-poll.
The BJP has not officially responded. But the statement is unlikely to please Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who had expressed happiness over the renewed alliance. “Stronger together…” he posted on social media platform X after the announcement.
EPS’ remark also contradicts the statement made by Union Home Minister Amit Shah. At the alliance event last week, Mr Shah had declared that the BJP and AIADMK would contest “together without conditions.” He described it as a united front under the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
Also read: AIADMK-BJP alliance doomed to fail, says TN CM Stalin
At the same event, EPS praised Mr Modi’s “unwavering support” and said the alliance was built on a “shared vision” for Tamil Nadu’s development.
The shift in tone from EPS now comes amid reported unrest within the AIADMK. Some leaders are said to be uncomfortable with the BJP tie-up. The concerns include the loss of minority votes and a poor electoral track record in recent elections.
In the 2021 state election, the AIADMK-BJP alliance won only 75 seats, down from 136, and lost power to the DMK-Congress combine.
In the 2019 and 2024 general elections, the alliance also struggled. AIADMK contested 20 and 34 seats respectively but won only one seat in total. The BJP contested 28 seats across those two elections and won none.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister MK Stalin’s DMK has dominated. The party secured all 24 and 22 seats it contested in the same two general elections.
Despite the BJP's poor showing, the party noted a 7.58 per cent rise in vote share in 2024. This led to a reassessment of its strategy in Tamil Nadu.
Tamil Nadu politics has long been dominated by the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and AIADMK. National parties like the Congress and BJP have historically struggled to gain ground. As a result, alliances are critical for them to maintain relevance in the state.
The earlier AIADMK-BJP alliance broke apart after K Annamalai, the BJP’s Tamil Nadu unit chief at the time, made controversial remarks about former AIADMK icons J Jayalalithaa and MG Ramachandran.
The AIADMK demanded his resignation. The BJP refused, sparking speculation the national party was trying to split the AIADMK to gain a stronger foothold.
Now, as part of the alliance revival, the BJP has removed Annamalai. He has been replaced by Nainar Nagenthiran, a former AIADMK leader, in a move seen as an effort to smooth relations.
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