Despite BJP pressure, AIADMK Chief EPS won't to take back rebels

Tamil Nadu Assembly polls due in March/April 2026

- BY S VENKAT NARAYAN

Tamil Nadu’s regional party AIADMK’s General Secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami has refused to give in to alliance partner Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) pressure to take back rebel leaders O Panneerselvam and T T V Dhinakaran into the party ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections.

He met Union Home Minister and senior BJP leader Amit Shah in New Delhi late Tuesday evening.

Elections to the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly are due in March/April 2026.

According to multiple sources, Shah urged “unity”, arguing that the AIADMK-BJP alliance lost at least 23 seats in 2021 because Dhinakaran fought separately.

However, Palaniswami, also known by his initials EPS, held firm, suggesting that any such move will destabilise the AIADMK organisation. However, he will not object to the NDA including the rebels in its fold.

With the talks ending inconclusively, top sources in the AIADMK and BJP said the two parties agreed to continue their discussions after Diwali in mid-October.

The closed-door meeting revealed the central dilemma facing the BJP-AIADMK alliance: how to manage old rivals and new allies, and a leader determined not to cede ground.