Dhinakaran-led AMMK returns to NDA fold, Palaniswami welcomes leader

Months after walking out of the NDA, TTV Dhinakaran-led AMMK on Wednesday returned to the AIADMK-led bloc in Tamil Nadu.

Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK) founder-leader Dhinakaran met senior BJP leader and Union Minister Piyush Goyal and was formally re-inducted into the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

AIADMK chief Edappadi K Palaniswami, whose party leads the NDA in the state, welcomed Dhinakaran.

The Dr Anbumani Ramadoss-led faction of PMK on January 7 joined the NDA in poll-bound Tamil Nadu.

In a social media post, Palaniswami welcomed Dhinakaran, whom he said has joined the NDA to "uproot the evil force DMK's tyrannical rule, put an end to its dynastic politics and once again ensure the golden rule of Amma ( J Jayalalithaa)."  "With the welfare of the people as our objective, let us all unite together to save the people and retrieve Tamil Nadu from the DMK's family rule," Palaniswami added.

Responding to a question, Dhinakaran shot back at scribes asking who has been declared as the NDA's Chief Ministerial candidate, to which they said it was Palaniswami.

He then asked the reporters why they were then persisting with the issue with him.

Dhinakaran had quit the NDA in September 2025, blaming "betrayal," without naming anyone.

The former MP and his aunt VK Sasikala, a confidante of late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, were expelled from the AIADMK in 2017 when Palaniswami was its co-coordinator and O Pannerselvam the coordinator. Incidentally, Panneerselvam was also expelled from the party by its general council in 2022.