Edappadi K Palaniswami.
Credit: PTI File Photo
Chennai: AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami on Tuesday said the party’s goal was to “defeat” the DMK government headed by Chief Minister M K Stalin in the 2026 Assembly polls by ensuring that the anti-DMK votes don’t get split among opposition parties, in comments being interpreted as his party warming up to the idea of allying with the BJP.
Palaniswami also said DMK was the “only political enemy” of the AIADMK, and that he was ready to do business with any other political outfit, in a departure from his earlier stand that BJP was his “no go zone.”
His remarks will be music to the BJP, which has been pushing for a rainbow alliance with all anti-DMK parties under one roof to take on the formidable Secular Progressive Alliance (SPA) which has won 2019, 2021, and 2024 polls.
“AIADMK is ready to defeat the DMK. Our only enemy is the DMK. Other parties are not our enemies. Our goal is to defeat the DMK by ensuring that the votes (against the ruling party and the government) don't get split among (opposition parties). We have to put an end to this anti-people DMK government,” Palaniswami told reporters near his hometown of Salem.
He was responding to a pointed question on whether the AIADMK was willing to consider an alliance with the BJP for the 2026 polls. “In six months, it will be clear who will be with us. We can’t hold (alliance) talks in secrecy. We will be transparent, and you will know our stand. We have another year left for the elections,” the former chief minister added.
Palaniswami’s remarks on Tuesday seem to be made carefully with general opinion doing the rounds that it would be difficult to defeat the DMK in 2026 if all opposition parties don’t come together, especially at a time actor Vijay has made it clear that he would go solo.
His comments come a day after a barrage of Tamil Nadu BJP leaders, including K Annamalai, attending the wedding of the son of senior AIADMK leader S P Velumani, where Palaniswami was not present. The ‘bonhomie” between Annamalai and the AIADMK leaders became a topic of intense discussion on social media and Palaniswami’s comments only added credence to the speculation of the two parties coming together once again.
AIADMK parted ways with the BJP in September 2023 after blaming Annamalai for its decision and since then the Dravidian party has been maintaining distance from the saffron outfit. In 2024, the AIADMK snubbed multiple offers from the BJP for an alliance and contested the Lok Sabha polls alone – both BJP and AIADMK drew a blank.
Though Annamalai was also against BJP tying up with the AIADMK, he also came around a couple of months back to stress the need for “unity” among all anti-DMK parties. While Palaniswami’s statement has the potential to create ripples in political circles, it remains to be seen how the two parties will come together in an alliance, with just a year left for the elections.
Responding to Palaniswami’s statement, Annamalai said there was ample time left to discuss the alliance.
Even if EPS agrees for an alliance with the BJP, the road ahead will be tough for the AIADMK as it will come under renewed attack by the DMK on a host of issues, including the sensitive three-language formula and delimitation. In fact, DMK taking up the issues vociferously with Stalin dominating the headlines everyday might have brought a change of mind in EPS softening his approach towards the BJP.
It remains to be seen how EPS will handle the pressure from the BJP on accommodating rebel AIADMK leaders like O Panneerselvam, T T V Dhinakaran, and V K Sasikala ahead of the 2026 assembly polls.
Political analyst Maalan Narayanan told DH that Palaniswami is slowly understanding the need for consolidation of anti-DMK votes in the 2026 assembly polls and said his latest remarks should be seen as a “feeler” to the BJP.
“The AIADMK hasn’t won any election that it contested after Jayalalithaa’s death in 2016. That’s where 2026 becomes extremely important for the AIADMK especially in the wake of new players like Vijay. It remains to be seen how Palaniswami will take forward his statement. I believe he has realised he should rise above personal ego and posturing,” he added.