CHENNAI: Even as a section of the BJP leaders continues to insist that a coalition government will be formed after the 2026 Assembly election, AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami may have put an end to speculations, delivering what analysts say is a stern message to the BJP that the AIADMK will independently form the government.
Speaking at an AIADMK meeting in Thiruthuraipoondi (Tiruvarur district) on Saturday night, Palaniswami said, “They (the DMK) are saying that in the AIADMK-BJP alliance, we will share power if we form the government. Mr Stalin, let me make this clear: We are not gullible. The AIADMK will win the polls with a majority and form the government on its own.”
Palaniswami said the BJP joined the AIADMK-led alliance to unseat the DMK government, which is “corrupt and anti-people”. “Unlike you, we are not desperate to bring our heir to power. It is the will of the people that matters, and we will fulfil that,” he added.
Although Palaniswami aimed the comments at DMK president and Chief Minister M K Stalin, political analysts said that this was, in fact, a stern message to the BJP, whose leaders continue to claim that a coalition government will be formed in the state.
Quick on damage control, BJP state president Nainar Nagenthran called up Palaniswami and discussed the remarks.
Answering queries from reporters in Nagapattinam, Nagenthran denied any ulterior motive to EPS’ remarks. Palaniswami had said that he was only responding to the campaign of the DMK that “the BJP would swallow the AIADMK since the party has been mortgaged”, said Nagenthran.
BJP state vice-president Raama Srinivasan told TNIE, “I see the anxiety among the people and the media over AIADMK-BJP forming a coalition government as a positive development for our alliance. The media, which have been debating whether the DMK-led alliance will win 200 or more seats, have now changed the topic to whether the AIADMK will form its own government or the BJP will be part of it. So, the ‘perception of politics’ prevailing in Tamil Nadu now is that the DMK will not retain power after the 2026 Assembly election. Ultimately, the AIADMK-BJP alliance has won already.”
When asked, if continuing differences between the AIADMK and the BJP on the coalition government issue would ally a self-destructive one at the hustings, Srinivasan said, “In 1980, the DMK and the Congress contested in equal number of seats. At that time, the question arose who would become the CM — whether it would be the then DMK president M Karunanidhi. But the DMK did not give a straight answer. But now, Union Home Minister Amit Shah has made it clear that the government will be headed by the AIADMK. We are not in a hurry to come to power in TN. Our first priority is to unseat the DMK. After the election, we will abide by whatever Shah says.”
Political analyst Tharasu Shyam said, “It is a clear warning to the BJP to stop the pinpricks on a coalition government. At present, the AIADMK and the BJP need each other in certain areas when they face the election.”
Senior journalist Durai Karuna said Palaniswami’s remarks have delivered a message to the BJP that if they harp on about coalition government, the AIADMK will have to reconsider its ties with the BJP. “If the BJP is concerned about unseating the DMK government, Amit Shah should restrain his leaders from speaking about a coalition government to strengthen the alliance. Otherwise, the AIADMK may look for other alternatives.”
(With inputs from Mohammed Salahudeen @ Nagapattinam)