BJP seals poll deal; AIADMK to lead bloc

NEARLY two years after they parted ways, the AIADMK and the BJP on Friday joined hands to resurrect their alliance to "unseat the corrupt DMK government" in the 2026 Assembly election.

- T MURUGANANDAM

Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who declared the sealing of the alliance at a press meet in Chennai, said that the NDA will fight the election under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the national level, and AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami in Tamil Nadu.

Signalling a tectonic shift in Tamil Nadu's politics, Shah answered in the affirmative when asked whether it will be a coalition government if NDA wins the election. It is pertinent to note that the DMK and the AIADMK, which alternatively ruled the state for several decades, never yielded to a coalition government despite facing almost all elections in alliance with several other parties.

Welcoming the alliance, PM Modi in a post on 'X' said, "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. 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."