AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami
Credit: PTI Photo
Chennai: Tamil Nadu’s principal opposition party AIADMK on Monday “clarified” that it won’t ally with the BJP for the 2026 assembly elections, a day after its general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami said he will be open to join hands with “like-minded” parties to defeat the ruling DMK. EPS’ reply was to a point question by reporters in Tiruchirapalli on Sunday to the AIADMK’s stand vis-à-vis BJP.
“It is not about keeping the doors open or closed. That may be the case in other alliances, but not in the one led by AIADMK. As far as we are concerned, we are ready to join hands with like-minded parties to remove the anti-people and corrupt DMK regime from power,” he said when asked whether the AIADMK’s doors are open for an alliance with BJP and PMK.
EPS’ reply gave room to speculation of a chance in the AIADMK’s stand with regard to its alliance with the BJP. His statement also comes close on the heels of actor Vijay formally launching his party Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam and identifying the DMK as his “electoral enemy” with political analysts saying that the newbie politician wants to emerge as the principal opponent to the M K Stalin-led party by replacing the AIADMK.
Many BJP leaders have been openly asking the AIADMK to induct the party into its alliance to defeat the DMK in the 2026 elections but the appeal didn't have much resonance within the regional party, which walked out of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in September 2023.
As EPS’ statement on the alliance led to intense speculation, AIADMK fielded its organising secretary D Jayakumar to blame the media for “twisting” the remarks of the Leader of Opposition. “There is no way that the AIADMK will ally with the BJP for the 2026 elections, or any elections for that matter. The party’s decision to walk out of the NDA and snap ties with BJP stays and won’t be reversed,” Jayakumar said.
Jayakumar also alleged that the BJP and DMK have a “secret relationship” between them by pointing to Prime Minister Narendra Modi making time to meet the current deputy chief minister Udhayanidhi Stalin in March 2023. “Which PM in the past had given appointment to a state minister? This is the kind of secret relationship that the two parties have. We are clear that we don’t want any ties with the BJP,” Jayakumar added.
While Jayakumar was categorical in his comments, another senior leader K P Munusamy was quite evasive when asked whether there was any chance of the AIADMK and BJP getting back for an alliance.
The AIADMK is under pressure to cobble up a formidable coalition for the 2026 polls with all its erstwhile partners joining hands with the BJP to form a Third Front in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. AIADMK and BJP were in an alliance from 2019 to 2023 and the combine lost every poll it contested for during the four-year period.