NDA will form coalition govt in Tamil Nadu under AIADMK, says Amit Shah

The home minister also made it clear that Chief Minister will be from the Dravidian party without naming AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami.

Chennai: Putting his ally AIADMK in a spot, Union Home Minister Amit Shah has asserted that the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) will form the next dispensation in Tamil Nadu following the 2026 Assembly elections with the BJP being an integral part of the coalition government.

He also made it clear that the elections will be fought under the leadership of the AIADMK, which commands about 30 per cent vote share. 

In an interview to the Daily Thanthi group, Shah refuted reports that the BJP was trying to reunite all factions of the AIADMK saying his party will never interfere in the “internal matters” of the Dravidian outfit. 

To pointed questions on the composition of the government in the event of the AIADMK-BJP alliance winning the 2026 elections, Shah said the Chief Minister will be from the Dravidian party without naming AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami but made it clear it will be a coalition government. 

“The NDA will certainly form the government, and the BJP will be part of it,” Shah said. He gave an identical answer to a similar question in an interview with Dinamalar, a leading Tamil newspaper. 

To a question whether actor Vijay’s Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam will join the NDA, Shah said, “there is still enough time for the election. Everything will be clear at the right time.” 

Shah’s categorical statements contradict the assertions of AIADMK leaders, including Palaniswami, that the government will only be formed by the party though the coalition in which the BJP and other parties are an integral party will win the elections. 

On Friday too, the AIADMK leaders were at pains to tell the BJP that the people of Tamil Nadu will not accept a coalition government, while BJP leaders said Shah has clarified the position vis-à-vis alliance.

While senior AIADMK leaders were tight-lipped, the second rung leadership jumped to defend the party saying Palaniswami was the leader of the NDA in Tamil Nadu and his decision are final.

The Union Home Minister’s interviews to Tamil newspapers is part of the BJP’s outreach in Tamil Nadu, where the party still lacks a base.  

Shah’s statements come two weeks before he makes his third visit to Tamil Nadu in three months. Shah is also expected to meet AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami and senior leaders from the party to discuss the strategy to defeat the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance (SPA) in the polls. 

The visit by Shah also comes amid differences between the BJP and AIADMK over a host of issues, including divergent views on the composition of the government to be formed if the combine wins the polls.

While the AIADMK has always maintained that only the party will form the government in the event of the alliance emerging victorious, and that the understanding was only for contesting the polls, the BJP feels otherwise, with many asserting that 2026 will witness the ushering in of a coalition era in the state.