Not all on board as EPS tour makes buzz

AS leader of the opposition and AIADMK's general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami has completed the first phase of his spirited tour of assembly constituencies and started the second leg without a break, his aggressive attacks on the alleged failures of the DMK regime in layman's terms have enthused the party cadre gathering in large numbers at all the places.

- T MURUGANANDHAM @ Chennai

However, the shakiness in signaling the party's stance on coalition has so far subdued the campaign's effectiveness. Moreover, it has raised questions on whether the keenness shown by the party towards forming an alliance, almost bordering on desperation, is undermining its legacy of daring to go alone, as exemplified in the 2016 elections when late chief minister J Jayalalithaa led the party to a consecutive victory.

In the beginning of the campaign, EPS sounded weak in tackling the BJP's repeated assertion that it would be a coalition government if the AIADMK-BJP alliance wins the 2026 elections. However, as the campaign progressed, he asserted himself more firmly, going to the extent of saying that "we (AIADMK) are not fools" to agree for a coalition government. "The party that can swallow the AIADMK is yet to be born," he said, responding to the DMK's criticism that the BJP would dominate the AIADMK.