The Bharatiya Janata Party and All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam on Friday announced their poll alliance to contest the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly election and Union Minister Amit Shah confirmed that it will be fought under the leadership of AIADMK chief Edappadi K Palaniswami.
The two parties are rekindling their alliance nearly two years after they parted ways, Shah said it will be Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership at the Centre and Palaniswami at the state level. Other allied parties in the state to also join the NDA umbrella.
The move comes on the same day that Nainar Nagendran was appointed as the new BJP state president in Tamil Nadu, replacing Annamalai. Annamalai himself had proposed Nagendran's name for the post.
What Did Amit Shah Say?
Amit Shah held a press conference in Chennai along with Palaniswami and outgoing BJP TN chief K Annamalai where he said, "AIADMK and BJP have decided to fight next (year's) polls...from 1998, AIADMK has been part of BJP alliance (at different points of time). PM Modi and late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa had worked for Centre-state ties."
"We will form a government together led by Edappadi Palaniswami," he said, indicating it would be a coalition government should the NDA win.
He exuded confidence that the NDA will get a solid mandate and form a government.
On AIADMK's divergent stand on certain issues, Shah said will sit and discuss. There will be a Common Minimum Programme if required.
He also slammed the ruling DMK in the state, alleging it was raking up issues like Sanatan Dharma, 3-language policy and delimitation with the sole intention to take attention away from key issues.
People were demanding answers from the ruling dispensation over a number of 'scams,' and they would vote on genuine issues, Shah said.
Amit Shah also said, "In the upcoming Tamil Nadu elections, the people will vote on DMK's corruption, law and order issues, atrocities on Dalits and women... DMK government did a liquor scam of rs. 39,000 crore, sand mining scam, energy scam, ELCOT scam, transport scam, money laundering scam,... There are a lot of other scams about which the DMK should answer to the people of Tamil Nadu... The people of Tamil Nadu are seeking answers from Udhayanidhi and Stalin..."
