For over five decades, Tamil Nadu’s political landscape has been dominated by the DMK and AIADMK, with power alternating between the two. While both parties have formed alliances with regional and national parties, they have traditionally governed alone without offering cabinet roles to their allies.
Published Jul 16, 2025 | 4:35 PM ⚊ Updated Jul 16, 2025 | 4:35 PM
Edappadi K Palaniswami. (File pic/EPSTamilnadu/Facebook)
Synopsis: AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami categorically stated that the AIADMK will lead the coalition, win the upcoming Assembly polls by a huge margin, and he will be sworn in as the chief minister.
AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami on Wednesday, 16 July, reiterated that he will be the chief minister of a single-party government in Tamil Nadu after the next Assembly election.
However, EPS — as he is popularly known — said that the AIADMK will contest the Assembly polls in 2026 in an alliance with the BJP. Exuding confidence, he claimed that the AIADMK-BJP combine will win 210 seats in the 234-member Legislative Assembly.
The former chief minister was speaking to reporters after an interaction with farmers in Chidambaram.
“Stalin thought I would not form any alliance. But once I joined hands with the BJP, he got scared. When DMK allies with others, it’s called a good alliance. But if AIADMK allies, is it suddenly communal?” he asked.
He quoted Union Minister Amit Shah as saying that the “AIADMK-led alliance will form the next government,” and clarified, “He didn’t call it a coalition government.”
Reiterating his leadership, EPS declared, “AIADMK will lead the alliance. AIADMK will form the government. I will be the chief minister. There should be no doubts about this. No one can create a rift in this alliance.”
Incidentally, EPS had earlier also said that there would not be any coalition government. A week after renewing the party’s tie with the BJP, EPS said in April that Home Minister Amit Shah had not said that a coalition government would be formed.
“He did not say that. He only said, ‘Modi for Delhi and me for Tamil Nadu.’ He did not say a coalition government will be formed; he only said a coalition will form the government,” EPS had told reporters in Chennai on 16 April.
The statement drew attention for its apparent contrast with Shah’s remarks during a joint appearance in Chennai on 11 April.
At that event, Shah had declared that the BJP and AIADMK would contest the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections together and form a coalition government.
Although Palaniswami had been silent throughout the event, Shah had said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi would lead nationally, and Palaniswami would lead in the state, to form a coalition government in Tamil Nadu.
When asked about expelled AIADMK leader O Panneerselvam, EPS dismissed the question, saying: “That time has passed.”
For over five decades, Tamil Nadu’s political landscape has been dominated by the DMK and AIADMK, with power alternating between the two.
While both parties have formed alliances with regional and national parties, they have traditionally governed alone without offering cabinet roles to their allies.
This trend continued after the 2021 Assembly elections, when the DMK, despite contesting with allies such as the Congress, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK), and Left parties, formed the government independently with none of the ally MLAs in the government.
The AIADMK has taken a similar approach during its past tenures in power.
But in recent times, there’s been growing calls for power-sharing among coalition partners.
Notably, Adhav Arjuna – then Deputy General Secretary of the VCK – had demanded a ministerial berth for party leader Thol Thirumavalavan in the DMK-led government.
The issue eventually led to Arjuna’s departure from the VCK and became a key part of his campaign within actor Vijay’s newly formed Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK).
At TVK’s first state conference earlier this year, Vijay stressed the need for power-sharing, stating that allies of his party should also be given roles in governance.
In this context, Shah’s statement about forming a coalition government was significant, as it hinted at a third party getting a seat at a table long monopolised by the AIADMK and DMK.
