The political rumour mill in Tamil Nadu is once again churning, as BJP state president K Annamalai arrived in Delhi on Thursday, just two days after AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS) met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in the national capital.
Palaniswami met in private with Amit Shah in Delhi on Tuesday for 15 minutes to discuss conditions of a potential revival of the AIADMK-BJP alliance in Tamil Nadu, sources told India Today on Wednesday. Sources said EPS presented specific conditions for re-establishing the partnership, stressing that the AIADMK should lead the alliance in Tamil Nadu in the upcoming state assembly elections in 2026.
The AIADMK leader also reportedly expressed a desire to reduce the role of Annamalai in the state. Additionally, EPS indicated he is not concerned about figures like TTV Dhinakaran, VK Sasikala, or O Panneerselvam in the context of the alliance.
However, Palaniswami, who is also the Leader of the Opposition in the Tamil Nadu Assembly, denied any alliance talks and said his meeting with Shah covered key issues related to the state. "We came here for people issues. Only media is giving news about alliance for sensationalism. There is still one year for the election," he said.
Palaniswami stressed that a tie-up would only be considered closer to the elections. "Is election date is announced to speak about alliance? In 2019 and 2021 we spoke about alliance only near to election. Alliance and ideology is different. Our ideology is constant. And alliance would be based on circumstances. Circumstances only decide the alliance. There is still one year is for election."
The former chief minister also said that the discussion with the Union Home Minister included the Enforcement Directorate case linked to an alleged scam involving the Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (TASMAC). He urged Shah to initiate a detailed inquiry into the matter.
In addition, the meeting touched upon broader governance and policy concerns in Tamil Nadu. "Various issues regarding Tamil Nadu, including National Education Policy's language formula, the release of funds and developing railway projects for the State were discussed," Palaniswami said.
The BJP and AIADMK remain formally estranged since their alliance broke in 2023. The two parties had previously joined hands for the 2021 Assembly elections, with the BJP winning four seats under that arrangement. The AIADMK had aligned with the BJP after the demise of its former leader J Jayalalithaa in 2016.
Since then, the AIADMK has suffered electoral defeats, with the DMK securing victories in the 2019 and 2024 Lok Sabha polls and the 2021 Assembly elections.