What’s happening between the AIADMK and the BJP?

On the March, 25, AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami went to New Delhi and met with the Home Minister Amit Shah. Subsequently, on March, 28, without the permission of EPS, Sengottaiyan met Amit Shah and Nirmala Sitharaman. In this situation, it looks like the Union Government has agreed to provide Y-category security to Sengottaiyan. Everything that is happening in AIADMK has created a huge stir in the political circles of the state.

When former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa was in power, AIADMK was under strict control. No one could speak or act against her. But, now, Sengottaiyan is boycotting AIADMK meetings, including Palaniswami's programmes. Without a doubt, guidance from the BJP leadership is a source concern for AIADMK workers.

In the last assembly elections, the BJP won 4 MLA seats in alliance with AIADMK. It is a known fact that the party cannot win even a single seat without the support of AIADMK. Irritated by BJP state president K Annamalai’s speech, EPS decided to withdraw its association with the BJP. As a result, both the parties lost in the parliamentary elections.

However, EPS did not announce any firm decision on forming an alliance with the BJP. The BJP leadership had insisted on including O Panneerselvam, Sasikala, and TTV Dinakaran in the party during the last assembly elections. When they refused to accept this, the BJP weakened the AIADMK by winning them over. Now, the BJP is planning to form a united AIADMK by including OPS and others in the AIADMK, thereby gaining a strong foothold in Tamil Nadu. But EPS has announced that he will not include those who have betrayed the party for any reason.

In this situation, there is a suspicion that the BJP is using Sengottaiyan to bring EPS on track. Somehow, the BJP has not given up its efforts to include OPS, Sasikala, and TTV Dinakaran in the AIADMK. Whether this is possible is a question mark. The BJP can try to contest the elections by highlighting the National Democratic Alliance. But what can the BJP achieve in this way?

However, the BJP's influence in Tamil Nadu is at rock bottom. Especially the three-language policy, the non-disbursement of funds for constituency restructuring, new education policy, and pending payment for MGNREGA scheme have created resentment among the people. There is no doubt that this will resonate in the upcoming 2026 state assembly elections. In the meantime, Vijay’s party, TVK, is going to contest the upcoming assembly elections.

Just as the BJP came to power in Maharashtra using Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, the BJP may try to do something similar in Tamil Nadu using the same formula. AIADMK workers are worried about the current scenario.

The BJP has not yet realized that Tamil Nadu’s history is different from Maharashtra. We will have to wait and see what the BJP is seeding.