CHENNAI: In a reaffirmation of the adage that there are no permanent foes or friends in politics, Union Home Minister and BJP’s chief strategist Amit Shah announced on Friday that the AIADMK is rejoining the NDA to fight the 2026 elections together to oust the “corrupt” DMK government.
Signalling a tectonic shift in Tamil Nadu’s politics, when asked whether it would be a coalition government if the alliance wins, Shah replied in the affirmative. It is worth noting that despite contesting most elections in alliance with other parties, neither the DMK nor the AIADMK — which have alternately ruled the state for decades — has ever shared power with allies in a coalition setup.
Shah, however, made it clear that AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami will lead the alliance in the state, while Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lead it nationally.
The two parties are coming together after a gap of 20 months. The AIADMK had exited the NDA in September 2023, roughly seven months before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, citing the “confrontational approach” of the BJP’s Tamil Nadu leadership, without directly naming state unit chief K Annamalai. Coinciding with Friday’s announcement, the BJP also effected a leadership change in the state: the party’s Assembly floor leader Nainar Nagenthran was elected unopposed as the new state president and is expected to take charge from Annamalai on Saturday. However, Shah denied that AIADMK had demanded Annamalai’s removal as a precondition for returning to the NDA.
Although Palaniswami, Annamalai, Nagenthran, and senior AIADMK leaders KP Munusamy and SP Velumani were present on the dais, only Shah addressed the media.
An official BJP statement summarising Shah’s remarks underlined his response to a question about seat-sharing and post-poll arrangements. Shah said these would be finalised in consultation with alliance partners “at an appropriate time,” indicating the BJP’s intention to be part of the government if the alliance wins.
When asked whether BJP MLAs would become ministers, Shah said he wanted to leave no room for confusion that the DMK could exploit. “The alliance will fight under the leadership of Palaniswami, while other matters will be decided later,” he said. However, AIADMK leaders did not confirm whether they had agreed to a coalition government.
In a win for Palaniswami, when asked whether expelled leader and former CM O Panneerselvam and AMMK chief TTV Dhinakaran would be brought back to unify the Dravidian party, Shah said the BJP would not interfere in the AIADMK’s internal affairs. He added that the state leadership of both parties would decide on including other parties in the alliance.
When pointed to key differences between the two parties on issues like NEET and the three-language policy, Shah said the alliance would discuss these matters and come up with a common minimum programme.
He also denied that the AIADMK had placed any conditions for rejoining the NDA. “AIADMK joining the alliance is not only beneficial for the NDA but also for the AIADMK,” Shah said, he also reiterated that Palaniswami would be the chief ministerial candidate of the alliance.
Targeting the ruling DMK, Shah accused it of raising issues like NEET and delimitation only to divert attention from corruption and the deteriorating law and order situation in the state, especially incidents of violence against Dalits and women.
He further alleged that the state has witnessed several scams, including the ₹39,000 crore liquor scam, sand mining scam, power scam, ELCOT scam, transport scam, money laundering scam, nutrition kit scam, free dhoti scam, gas cylinder-for-jobs scam, illegal raids, smuggling, and MGNREGA-related irregularities.
He said these are the issues that matter to the public, who demand answers from Stalin and Udhayanidhi Stalin.
Shah also stated that the BJP respects Tamil Nadu, the Tamil language, and its people, and has never treated the state as “problematic.
He recalled the BJP-AIADMK’s past alliance successes, including winning 30 out of 39 Lok Sabha seats once, and expressed confidence that the NDA would win a majority and come to power in the state.