AIADMK-BJP alliance sealed; Annamalai steps down as state chief

There were compromises from both sides – while the BJP let go of Annamalai, AIADMK had to seal the alliance a year before Assembly elections and agree for a coalition.

Chennai: Nineteen months after a messy separation, the AIADMK was on Friday back in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) for the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly polls but not before K Annamalai bowed out as the state BJP chief and was succeeded by Nainar Nagendran, who cut his political teeth in the Dravidian party. 

Overseeing the “smooth transition” of the change of guard in Tamil Nadu BJP to ensure the longevity of the alliance – Annamalai opposed an alliance with the AIADMK arguing that it wasn’t in the best interest of the saffron party – Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who was flanked by Edappadi K Palaniswami, announced the alliance at a press conference here. 

Annamalai, who was appointed by the BJP as state chief in 2021 just 11 months after he joined the party, was succeeded by Nagendran, who hails from the politically influential Thevar community. Besides alliance equations, caste calculations were also behind the move as both EPS and Annamalai belong to the Gounder community. 

“Leaders of AIADMK and BJP have decided today that they will fight the upcoming Tamil Nadu Assembly elections together. In Tamil Nadu, Edappadi K Palaniswami is the leader of the NDA,” Shah said, leaving no ambiguity over who will lead the alliance. 

‘Coalition government’

The Union Home Minister said the alliance partners will aim to form a coalition government in the state – an arrangement that the AIADMK has been opposed to – but added a caveat saying fine details of it will be decided after winning the elections. After the announcement, Shah drove to Palaniswami’s official residence for dinner before returning to New Delhi. 

Hours later, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his happiness at AIADMK rejoining the NDA family and vowed to take Tamil Nadu to new heights of progress and serve the state diligently. 

“We will ensure a government that fulfils the vision of the great MGR and Jayalalithaa ji. For the sake of Tamil Nadu’s progress and to preserve the uniqueness of Tamil culture, it is important the corrupt and divisive DMK is uprooted at the earliest, which our alliance will do,” Modi added. 

In its reaction, the DMK accused Palaniswami of “betraying” the AIADMK and the people of Tamil Nadu by aligning with the BJP. “Was the AIADMK pressured by the BJP to forge an alliance? It is a shame that the party has entered into an alliance with a party (Annamalai) that criticised (C N) Anna (durai) and Jayalalithaa,” DMK MP Kanimozhi told reporters. 

 AIADMK’s past reluctance and current acceptance

The AIADMK, which entered into an alliance with the BJP in 2019, walked out of the NDA in September 2023 after blaming Annamalai’s outbursts against Dravidian stalwarts for its decision. 

Despite an open invitation from Shah, Palaniswami kept the BJP at a safe distance in the run-up to and during the 2024 polls, but the DMK’s 40/40 victory, its arithmetically strong alliance, and its projection of the 2026 poll as one between Tamil Nadu versus Delhi made him change his mind. 

“It is the 2024 election results that have brought both the AIADMK and BJP together. Their coming together is an absolute necessity to defeat the DMK alliance. If AIADMK and BJP form separate alliances, a cake walk for the DMK will be imminent,” a source told DH.

The NDA may include the PMK and other parties, forming a formidable coalition on paper, though its success at the grassroots remains uncertain.

Shah also said “defeating” the DMK was necessary and accused the ruling party of raking up issues like language policy and Sanatana Dharma only to divert attention from issues of rampant corruption, the failing law and order in the state. 

“This is a natural alliance…BJP and AIADMK formed an alliance for the first time in 1998 under J Jayalalithaa ji… I am confident that NDA will secure a landslide majority and form a government in Tamil Nadu once again,” Shah said, even as Palaniswami didn’t take questions. 

The announcement was delayed by at least five hours after Shah was engaged in marathon discussions with RSS ideologue S Gurumurthy and with his party leaders at a luxurious five-star hotel here. Tamil Maanila Congress (TMC) chief G K Vasan, who has been acting as the BJP’s emissary, also met Shah and held discussions. 

Compromises from both sides

Palaniswami met Shah hours after Nagendran filed nomination for the president’s post and the Home Minister announced the results of the BJP’s organisational elections and that the party will leverage Annamalai’s organisational skills “in the party's national framework.”

There were compromises from both sides – while the BJP let go of Annamalai who was touted as the party’s future, the AIADMK had to seal the alliance a year before the assembly elections and agree for a coalition government in the event of a victory. 

Acknowledging that the AIADMK and BJP were not on the same page on issues like language policy and NEET, Shah said the two parties will sit together to thrash out their differences or arrive at a Common Minimum Programme (CMP) for the alliance. 

The Home Minister also clarified that the BJP will not “interfere” in the internal affairs of the AIADMK, effectively clarifying that there will be no pressure on EPS to take back rebels T T V Dhinakaran and O Panneerselvam into the party. 

However, sources told DH that the two leaders will be part of the NDA and contest the elections for which the BJP will “exert pressure” on the AIADMK, if needed. “The AIADMK has to make concessions. They can’t say my way or highway. OPS and TTV are critical for the alliance as the AIADMK has lost the Thevar votes to them. We are only asking them to be inducted into the alliance, not the party,” the source added. 

To a question, Shah said the BJP never saw Tamil Nadu as a problematic state but held it in the highest regard. “Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s love for Tamil language is unparalleled. Our contributions to Tamil are immense. What are DMK's contributions to Tamil language?” Shah asked and listed out initiatives taken by the NDA government to promote the language.