CHENNAI: Breaking his silence five days after AIADMK formally rejoined the BJP-led NDA, party general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS) on Wednesday asserted that there won't be a coalition government in Tamil Nadu after the 2026 Assembly elections.
This directly contradicted Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s remarks made on April 11 during the formal alliance announcement in Chennai, where he said that a coalition government led by the AIADMK would be formed in 2026.
When asked about Shah’s statement — seen as a significant political shift in the State's politics — EPS reacted sharply, claiming the remarks were being misunderstood. “He (Shah) didn't say it would be a coalition government. You are misinterpreting and trying to play tricks. Please stop that,” he told reporters at the State Secratariat.
Clarifying further, Palaniswami said Shah only meant that the “AIADMK-BJP alliance” would form the government. “He said that at the national level, the alliance will be headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and in Tamil Nadu, it will be headed by me. Can’t you understand that?” he asked, urging the media to refrain from sensational interpretations.
It can be recalled that Shah, at the press conference on Friday (April 11), clarified without ambiguity in response to a question that it would be a coalition government in 2026. Although a tinge of disapproval seemed apparent on the face of EPS when Shah made this remark, he did not offer any clarification. To a follow-up question on ministerial berths, Shah said it would be decided post elections.