BJP and AIADMK begin talks for a tie-up ahead of 2026 elections?

The Tamil Nadu Assembly elections are scheduled for next year. AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi Palaniswami has repeatedly stated that the party’s alliance will be announced only during the elections and that there is no possibility of an alliance with the BJP for the 2026 Assembly elections.
However, internal voices within the AIADMK have been growing stronger, demanding that all factions of the party unite and that the AIADMK form an alliance with the BJP.
Edappadi Palaniswami firmly rejected the first demand, stating that those who had defected would never be allowed back into the AIADMK. At the same time, his stance on a BJP alliance appeared to shift. He recently stated, "DMK is the enemy; all other parties are not the enemy. Our aim is not to split the votes against DMK." This indirectly signaled openness to the second demand, fueling speculation that the AIADMK may once again align with the BJP.
Amid these developments, Edappadi Palaniswami, along with senior AIADMK leaders K.P. Munusamy, MPs Thambidurai, C.V. Shanmugam, and MLA S.P. Velumani, travelled to Delhi yesterday. They met Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and Edappadi Palaniswami held separate discussions with him. The talks, which began at 9 PM, lasted until 10:30 PM, strengthening speculation about AIADMK’s return to the BJP-led alliance.
Following the meeting, Amit Shah confirmed the alliance through a social media post, stating, "The National Democratic Alliance government will be formed in Tamil Nadu in 2026." In addition to Amit Shah, AIADMK leaders, led by Edappadi Palaniswami, also met BJP national president J.P. Nadda in Delhi.
This sudden U-turn by Edappadi Palaniswami, who had earlier distanced himself from the BJP, has shocked AIADMK members and created a political stir in Tamil Nadu. The leader who had firmly refused to meet BJP leaders till yesterday afternoon suddenly held discussions with Amit Shah in the evening, making his political stance questionable.
There is also debate over whether Edappadi Palaniswami was pressured into joining the alliance. Reports suggest that he has demanded the removal of Annamalai as Tamil Nadu BJP president, and Amit Shah has agreed to it.
Regardless of the internal politics, it is now almost certain that AIADMK will rejoin the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance for the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections. The political battleground in Tamil Nadu is already heating up!