PMK has joined hands with the AIADMK to form alliance with the NDA" said PMK president Anbumani Ramadoss.
Credit: X/@ANI
Chennai: Tamil Nadu’s principal opposition party, AIADMK, on Wednesday received a major boost with the return of the Paatali Makkal Katchi (PMK) into the party-led alliance for the 2026 assembly polls.
The alliance deal was clinched between AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami and PMK president Anbumani Ramadoss, who is involved in a public spat with his father and party founder S Ramadoss for the control of the outfit that holds considerable influence among Vanniyars, a dominant community.
PMK is the first major party to join the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) ever since the AIADMK and BJP revived their ties in April 2025 with Palaniswami announcing that a few more parties will join their alliance in the coming weeks.
Though PMK is hit by an internal strife and the party’s election symbol, Mango, being sought by both factions, the AIADMK is confident that induction of the Anbumani faction will strengthen the NDA since it enjoys majority in various party forums.
Till the time of writing, there was no reaction from Ramadoss on the PMK’s alliance with AIADMK, triggering speculation whether the senior leader has been convinced to stay quiet.
“The AIADMK–PMK partnership represents an alliance that truly understands and reflects the sentiments and aspirations of the people of Tamil Nadu. This alliance will work relentlessly to remove the anti-people DMK government, which has betrayed the hopes of the people of Tamil Nadu,” Palaniswami said.
After formalizing the alliance with PMK, Palaniswami left for New Delhi to hold discussions with the top BJP leadership, including Union Home Minister Amit Shah, to give the final shape to the NDA in Tamil Nadu.
It is believed that the AIADMK and BJP wants to formalize the alliance in the next few weeks and organize a grand public rally with all allies sharing the stage with Prime Minister Narendra Modi by January-end or early February.
AIADMK sources told DH that the PMK is likely to be allotted between 20 to 25 assembly seats and probably a Rajya Sabha seat, though the final numbers will be decided in due course.
“The discussions began with the PMK seeking more than 30 seats. We offered him about 20 seats and the discussions ended on a positive note. That’s why the alliance was made public,” a source said.
Despite clinching the deal with PMK, the AIADMK is still not certain whether the Anbumani faction will secure the Mango symbol, which is familiar among traditional party voters. PMK enjoys a committed vote bank of 5 per cent among Vanniyars, who are spread across northern Tamil Nadu.
The source added that the party was in “advanced talks” with DMDK of late actor Vijayakanth and the deal is likely to be clinched by the end of January.
However, the sources did not say whether AIADMK rebels T T V Dhinakaran and O Panneerselvam will be part of the NDA – the two are said to be exploring an alliance with actor Vijay’s Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam.
Palaniswami’s discussions in Delhi are likely to centre around expanding the NDA further and formulate the strategy to take on the DMK.