BJP joins hands with AIADMK, to contest 2026 Tamil Nadu polls together

Union Home Minister and senior BJP leader Amit Shah said the two parties would resolve any differences through dialogue and might even issue a common minimum programme

Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday announced that his party will ally with the regional All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) to contest next year's Tamil Nadu Assembly elections.

 

Shah announced the pre-poll alliance between the two parties at a press conference in Chennai on Friday. "AIADMK and BJP have decided to fight next (year's) polls...from 1998, AIADMK has been part of BJP alliance (at different points of time). PM Modi and late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa had worked for Centre-state ties," Shah said.

 

Notably, the BJP has decided to be the junior partner in the alliance, given that Shah declared that the Assembly polls 2026 would be fought under the leadership of AIADMK chief and former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami.  

 

Over the past few years, there have been numerous occasions when the AIADMK has taken an ideologically different stand from that of BJP on certain issues. Regarding such differences, Shah said both parties would resolve them through discussion. The Gandhinagar MP added that the two parties might even come up with a common minimum program (CMP) ahead of the polls to show that they had reached a resolution of ideological differences.

 

The BJP's Tamil Nadu unit also witnessed a change of guard on Friday. Senior leader Nainar Nagendran was appointed as the state party president. Outgoing state BJP chief K Annamalai is said to be given a bigger role at the party's national level.

 

Attacking the ruling DMK government, Shah said, "People seeking answers from DMK on number of 'scams' and will vote in elections on original issues."