After a bitter split in September 2023, the AIADMK and BJP in Tamil Nadu seem to be getting closer to each other.
Published Mar 27, 2025 | 9:00 AM ⚊ Updated Mar 27, 2025 | 9:58 AM
AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami and BJP state president K Annamalai.
Synopsis: It seems both AIADMK and BJP in Tamil Nadu are willing to put their differences behind and face the Assembly polls as partners.
In March 2021, the Tamil Nadu Assembly election campaign was in full swing. In the Aravakurichi constituency, the then chief minister and AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami campaigned actively for BJP’s current president K Annamalai.
DMK then criticised AIADMK as a subordinate of the BJP, to which Palaniswami retorted, saying DMK itself was subservient. When the election results were announced in May, the BJP secured four seats for the first time in Tamil Nadu’s history.
However, the AIADMK, which had won 134 seats in 2016, managed to win only 66, losing 67 seats.
Notwithstanding the poll result, the tie-up continued until September 2023, when AIADMK leader D Jayakumar announced in a press conference that the alliance with the BJP had ended. The reason cited for this split was Annamalai’s open criticism of AIADMK leaders and his remarks about Perarignar Anna.
AIADMK leaders like Jayakumar and CV Shanmugam blamed BJP for their electoral losses. They argued that AIADMK lost minority votes due to its alliance with BJP. Jayakumar even referred to BJP as “waste luggage.”
In 2024, Annamalai stated on a BJP stage that Palaniswami was never considered a coalition leader since 2019. He further claimed that when Prime Minister Narendra Modi filed his nomination in Varanasi that year, all coalition leaders and chief ministers were invited, but Palaniswami declined, reportedly saying, “Why should I go for Modi, who is going to lose?”
In an earlier press meet, Palaniswami criticised the BJP, stating that in the previous 10 years, the party had not introduced any significant schemes, and that the debt had increased.
He pointed out that the national debt had risen from ₹55 lakh crore to ₹165 lakh crore in 10 years and accused Annamalai of bringing no projects to Tamil Nadu after assuming the role of the BJP state president.
Palaniswami also accused Annamalai of telling lies and questioned why he had not noticed corruption in AIADMK when they were in alliance during the elections.
He further mocked Annamalai. “All he does is criticise me. What else has he done? He has a disease—whenever he sees a mic, he starts speaking. Everyone has worked hard to earn their position, but Annamalai got his title without any effort,” Palaniswami did not hold back.
“Many BJP leaders who have toiled for years never got this position, but he acquired it through some other means. Now, he is dancing without knowing head or tail. I worked for 52 years from a branch secretary position to become chief minister and general secretary. He knows nothing about the people. His only investment is his mouth and tongue—he only promotes himself,” the AIADMK leader further said.
Responding, at BJP public meeting in 2024, Annamalai fired back, calling AIADMK under Palaniswami a “betting agent party.”
He criticised AIADMK’s internal politics, particularly referring to the Koovathur episode, where he alleged that MLAs were auctioned off.
“They bid on who would receive how much money monthly. In that bidding, Edappadi Palaniswami was the highest bidder and crawled his way to the chief minister’s seat. A proud farmer’s son like me, who has never signed a green ink file for a single rupee in 10 years, does not need permission from a ‘self-marked’ leader like Edappadi Palaniswami to speak. This is arrogance. By 2026, the party of revolutionary leaders MGR and Jayalalithaa is now being led by frogs. You will be thrown out. AIADMK won’t even get fourth place in the 2026 election,” he taunted.
Meanwhile, after returning from his London trip, Annamalai refrained from criticising Palaniswami directly.
On 7 March, Annamalai stated, “Those who once called BJP an untouchable party, a NOTA party, and blamed BJP for their defeat are now desperate to ally with us.”
This statement gained traction, especially after AIADMK leaders were seen meeting BJP leader Amit Shah at his residence.
Surprisingly, two weeks ago, he even referred to Palaniswami as “Edappadi Anna” (elder brother Edappadi), which astonished political circles.
Given that Annamalai had previously dismissed Palaniswami as a “self-marked leader,” this sudden shift in tone was seen as a potential conclusion to their verbal battle.
However, the recent meeting is now being viewed as a significant turning point in Tamil Nadu’s political landscape.
(Edited by Majnu Babu).
