Tamil Nadu: Dhinakaran-led AMMK quits NDA; setback to BJP ahead of 2026 polls

Chennai: Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK), led by T T V Dhinakaran, on Wednesday announced its decision to walk out of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in Tamil Nadu ahead of the 2026 assembly elections, after it became increasingly clear that the senior partner AIADMK was unwilling to accommodate the party.

Dhinakaran’s move is yet another setback to the NDA following another ally, O Panneerselvam, who also exited the combine in July after being cold-shouldered by the BJP at the behest of AIADMK and its general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami.

“We have decided to walk out of the NDA. We will announce our stand vis-à-vis the alliance in December,” Dhinakaran told reporters in Cuddalore district. His announcement came hours after Union Home Minister Amit Shah told TN BJP leaders to explore options to include more parties in the NDA.

The AMMK leader, who is the nephew of V K Sasikala, did not mince words when he said Shah’s efforts to unite all anti-DMK forces under one roof to take on the ruling party in the 2026 elections have failed.

Dhinakaran has been feeling sidelined since the AIADMK joined the NDA in April this year -- Palaniswami is particular that he won’t allow AMMK or OPS to co-exist with the AIADMK in the NDA despite BJP exerting pressure on him in this regard. 

The announcement by Dhinakaran also comes two days before senior AIADMK leader K A Sengottaiyan, who is upset over Palaniswami’s style of functioning, is set to “speak his heart” to the media, and a week after Sasikala called for the unification of the AIADMK.

“We thought he (Palaniswami) would reform himself or be reformed (by the BJP), but nothing happened. Rather, what we saw in the past two months is an open display of arrogance (by Palaniswami). He is a betrayer… We thought all supporters of Amma (J Jayalalithaa) should join hands to defeat the DMK. But I think they don’t want us,” Dhinakaran added.

The AMMK chief said his cadres had been exerting pressure on him to walk out of the NDA for the past couple of months. “This decision isn’t knee-jerk. It is a well-thought-out decision. When we are not respected and when we are not needed in a place, we have to chart our own path, and that’s what we have done today,” he added.

The move by Dhinakaran and OPS -- if one also reads between the lines of Sengottaiyan’s anticipated statement -- could also be interpreted as a way to make Palaniswami fall in line to accept their induction into the NDA, if not unify the party.

A senior AMMK leader told DH that reconciliation cannot be ruled out if the BJP steps in and convinces Palaniswami to accept AMMK and OPS. “We will wait till December. If we don’t get any positive response, we might launch negotiations with actor Vijay. But as we speak, we have not touched base with Vijay,” the leader added.

Dhinakaran and OPS believe that the AIADMK and BJP will need their support to win seats in southern Tamil Nadu, especially in constituencies dominated by Mukulathors, an OBC community to which they belong.

An NDA ally told DH that in the event TTV and OPS are not part of the NDA, it will further alienate the Mukulathors from the AIADMK and the alliance. While it is still premature and mere speculation, TTV and OPS joining Vijay might strengthen the actor’s position further in the 2026 elections.