COIMBATORE: Hinting at a softening of his stance on an alliance with the BJP for the 2026 Assembly elections, AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami, on Tuesday, refused to rule out a reunion. He stressed that the ruling DMK is the party’s “sole adversary” and a splitting of votes will not occur in the upcoming polls.
Speaking to reporters at Attur in Salem, the opposition leader said he would unveil the party’s political alliance in six months. “Our aim is to defeat the anti-people DMK rule by ensuring the votes don’t get split,” he said. If the AIADMK is in talks with the BJP, EPS avoided a direct answer, reiterating that the DMK is the party’s only enemy and no other parties are its foes.
Palaniswami’s remarks signalled a change in the position of the former chief minister, who has been categorical in his opposition to resuming ties with the saffron party since the AIADMK walked out of the alliance in September 2023.
During the interaction, EPS also dismissed as speculation that the Dravidian major is holding talks with actor Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam.
While DMDK general secretary Premalatha has maintained that the AIADMK has allocated a Rajya Sabha seat to the party, EPS said there have been no such discussions. “Have we told anyone we are giving a Rajya Sabha seat to the DMDK?” he asked.
Refusing to comment on the arrest of Amalraj, an ex-serviceman working as a security guard at the house of NTK president Seeman, he demanded action against a Dharmapuri district DMK functionary for allegedly openly threatening the collector and the superintendent of police during the party’s internal meeting.
Incident reveals DMK’s misuse of government machinery, alleges EPS
If such is the case, how can ordinary government officials perform their duty, asked Palaniswami. “This is the worst incident in the DMK regime and shows how the government machinery is being misused,” he charged.