Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday made a big announcement, saying the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders have decided that both the parties will contest the upcoming Tamil Nadu Assembly elections together under the banner of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). Giving details about the NDA alliance for the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, Amit Shah said these elections will be contested under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on a national level and under the leadership of AIADMK leader Edappadi K Palaniswami on the state level.
Shah says BJP will not interfere in internal matters of AIADMK
He stated that the AIADMK has no conditions and demands. "We will have no interference in the internal matters of the AIADMK. This alliance is going to be beneficial to both NDA and AIADMK," he said.
On the BJP-AIADMK alliance for Tamil Nadu elections, Amit Shah said, "In the upcoming Tamil Nadu elections, the people will vote on DMK's corruption, law and order issues, and atrocities on Dalits and women. The DMK government did a liquor scam of Rs 39,000 crore, a sand mining scam, an energy scam, an ELCOT scam, a transport scam, and a money laundering scam. There are a lot of other scams about which the DMK should answer to the people of Tamil Nadu. The people of Tamil Nadu are seeking answers from Udhayanidhi and Stalin."
Amit Shah slams DMK on delimitation issue
Amit Shah also talked about the issues of delimitation and NEET and said the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and opposition parties are raising the issues of delimitation and NEET to distract the people. "We will sit with AIADMK (since their stand on these issues is different from the BJP-led NDA) and discuss with them on these issues, and if needed, there will be a common minimum programme," he said.
Amit Shah was addressing a press conference with BJP's K Annamalai and AIADMK's Edappadi Palaniswami in Chennai and expressed confidence in securing a victory in the upcoming Assembly polls, saying that NDA will again secure a landslide majority and form a government in Tamil Nadu.
"I am confident that in the upcoming elections, NDA will again secure a landslide majority and NDA government will be formed in Tamil Nadu once again," he said.
PM Modi lauds BJP and AIADMK alliance
PM Modi lauded the BJP and AIADMK alliance and said the two parties have been united towards Tamil Nadu’s progress. “Stronger together, united towards Tamil Nadu’s progress! Glad that AIADMK joins the NDA family. Together, with our other NDA partners, we will 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,” he said.
BJP eager to improve prospects in Tamil Nadu
This time, the BJP is eager to improve its prospects in Tamil Nadu following a determined effort in the last Lok Sabha elections, where it failed to win a seat in the southern state. In the previous two elections--the Lok Sabha and the last assembly polls--the AIADMK has struggled to perform strongly.
The AIADMK entered into an alliance with the BJP after the passing of J Jayalalithaa in 2016. During the 2021 state elections, the AIADMK and the BJP were in alliance, which resulted in the BJP winning four seats. However, the AIADMK severed ties with the BJP in 2023.