The NDA is likely to project Edappadi K Palaniswami as its chief ministerial candidate in the Assembly polls slated for 2026.
Published Mar 26, 2025 | 6:30 PM ⚊ Updated Mar 26, 2025 | 6:48 PM
Union Minister Amit Shah with AIADMK leaders on Tuesday.
Synopsis: Despite Edappadi Palaniswami’s claim that reviving AIADMK’s tie-up with the BJP was not discussed during his meeting with Amit Shah, indications are that both parties are likely to face the 2026 Assembly elections in Tamil Nadu together.
AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami’s meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi is considered to be the first round of talks before the Tamil Nadu party reviving its ties with the BJP.
Palaniswamy, however, denied talks on a rapprochement between the two parties, which had parted ways in September 2023. He told reporters that the discussions centered around central funds to Tamil Nadu’s various schemes.
Despite Palaniswami’s denial, Shah’s statement after the meeting and a few recent developments point to a possible end to the frosty relationship of the AIADMK and BJP in Tamil Nadu, ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections.
“Once the National Democratic Alliance forms the government in Tamil Nadu in 2026, both the liquor crisis and corruption storm will come to an end,” Shah said after the meeting.
Signs of a possible rapprochement were evident when the BJP state president, K Annamalai, softened his stand towards the AIADMK and referred to Palaniswamy as “brother” in a recent interaction with the media.
To a specific query on the BJP’s stand on the AIADMK, Annamalai blamed the media for twisting facts in favour of the ruling DMK, “contrary to what my brother Edappadi and I had actually said”.
The shift in Annamalai’s stand was obvious since he had been critical of Palaniswami.
Palaniswami did not respond directly to Annamalai’s overtures. Instead, he asked reporters whether AIADMK-BJP relations were “trending” now.
The AIADMK leader had termed DMK the “only enemy”. He, however, remained ambiguous on questions of reviving ties with the BJP.
Shah and Annamalai’s remarks and Palaniswami’s response have given rise to speculation that a revival of the AIADMK-BJP alliance is on the cards.
Sources privy of Shah-Palaniswami meeting on Tuesday, 25 March, indicated that the two leaders talked about reviving ties.
Talks on an alliance with the BJP have cropped up within the AIADMK, but the party was apparently divided on the issue. While senior leaders like SP Velumani favoured a tie-up with the BJP, the younger leadership preferred aligning with actor Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK).
Amidst talks of striking an alliance, Palaniswami found himself in a dilemma. Reviving ties with the BJP would mean reintegrating ousted leaders like O Pannerselvam, TTV Dhinakaran, and VK Sasikala back into the AIADMK fold. Additionally, he would have to accept Annamalai.
Palaniswami had earlier demanded the ouster of Annamalai as the BJP state president before committing to an alliance.
AIADMK sources said these two issues came up for discussion when Palaniswami met Shah in Delhi. Additionally, the meeting also indicated that the AIADMK general secretary would toe the line of Velumani and other seniors, who preferred going with the BJP.
Senior journalist and political commentator Priyan Srinivasan said he noticed a marked shift in Palaniswami’s rhetoric over the past 15 days, especially after the Enforcement Department’s inspection at the Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (TASMAC) headquarters in Chennai.
Palaniswami and his entourage left Chennai for Delhi on Tuesday, 25 March. After visiting AIADMK’s newly constructed office in Delhi, he checked into a hotel.
Later in the evening, Velumani and KP Munusamy arrived in Delhi, where they met AIADMK MPs CV Shanmugam and M Thambi Durai. Around 8.30 pm, they rode to Shah’s residence in separate vehicles.
The meeting lasted nearly two hours. AIADMK sources said Palaniswami had a separate 30-minute discussion with Shah.
In the meeting, it was agreed that Pannerselvam, Sasikala, and Dhinakaran would not be reinstated in AIADMK, but the BJP might offer them alliance seats, the source said.
Annamalai would continue to head the BJP’s Tamil Nadu unit but would refrain from criticising AIADMK. A BJP high-level committee, possibly led by Nainar Nagendran or Vanathi Srinivasan, would oversee AIADMK-BJP coordination. Further, Palaniswami was promised the chief minister’s post if the NDA won the polls.
Recently, election strategist Prashant Kishor, who was in Chennai, met TVK leader Vijay, as well as Palaniswami.
Initially, TVK general secretary (elections) Aadhav Arjuna and Kishor tried to mediate an alliance between AIADMK and Vijay’s party. However, the talks fell through as AIADMK was unwilling to accept TVK’s demands, which included a share of power and a specific number of seats.
Following TVK’s second-anniversary conference, Kishor, in a private channel interview, confirmed that TVK would not be forming an alliance with AIADMK.
Responding, TVK general secretary N Anand issued a statement, saying only the official spokespersons appointed by party chief Vijay are authorised to speak on the party’s behalf.
In all likelihood, the NDA would comprise the BJP, AIADMK, DMDK, PMK, Tamil Maanila Congress, Puthiya Tamizhagam, and a few other small parties.
The alliance would aim to consolidate opposition votes against the ruling DMK, with Palaniswami projected as the NDA’s chief ministerial candidate. The alliance is expected to finalise seat sharing and the poll strategy in the coming months.
(Edited by Majnu Babu).
