Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday welcomed the return of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) to the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), describing it as a step towards creating a stronger and more progressive Tamil Nadu.
Taking to social media platform X, PM Modi wrote about his reaction to the reunion:
"Stronger together, united for Tamil Nadu's development! Happy that AIADMK becomes a part of the NDA family. Together, along with our other NDA allies, we will drive Tamil Nadu to new heights of development and work for the state with dedication. We will provide a government that lives up to the vision of the great MGR and Jayalalithaa Ji."
Referring to the ruling party in the state now, Modi added:
"For the welfare of Tamil Nadu's development and to maintain the distinctiveness of Tamil culture, it is necessary that the corrupt and divisive DMK is rooted out at the earliest — which our alliance will accomplish."
Home Minister Amit Shah, who traveled to Chennai earlier in the day, officially made the announcement on behalf of the AIADMK that it will spearhead NDA's election campaign in Tamil Nadu as part of a consolidated front for 2026 assembly elections.
Addressing the media, Shah called the new alliance a "natural partnership" and assured that AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami (EPS) would be the NDA's chief ministerial face in the next state elections.
This political change reconstitutes a former strong alliance which had broken in September 2023, after a split that was created due to remarks of Tamil Nadu BJP President K. Annamalai regarding legendary Dravidian leaders C.N. Annadurai and J. Jayalalithaa, which had angered the AIADMK leadership immensely.
The BJP and AIADMK were also previously an alliance in both the 2021 Tamil Nadu Assembly polls and 2019 Lok Sabha elections, in which AIADMK got 66 seats and the BJP four seats. The rift only intensified, however, with the appointment of Annamalai as the state BJP chief, causing ties to deteriorate prior to the 2024 general elections. The two split hurt both as the recent elections yielded poor showings.
Amit Shah's Chennai trip had a string of high-level interactions. Greeted by senior BJP leaders such as Annamalai, Union MoS L. Murugan, Tamilisai Soundararajan, Nainar Nagendran, and Pon Radhakrishnan, Shah also had important discussions with party and RSS veterans. Among them was a private meeting with RSS ideologue and Thuglak editor S. Gurumurthy, which is said to have been instrumental in patching up the alliance.
Sources indicate that reconciliation attempts had been in the works discreetly for weeks. EPS and senior AIADMK leaders such as former ministers S.P. Velumani and K.P. Munusamy had visited Delhi to meet with Shah, triggering rumors of a reunion.
A key milestone was reached on April 4, when Annamalai announced he would not accept any party post, instead opting to be a dedicated party worker. The decision was apparently in accordance with AIADMK's desires, as they had requested BJP's central leadership to consider removing him to ease relations.
In the background, top RSS leaders are reported to have played a key role in reviving the alliance, convincing BJP leaders to revive relations with a major Dravidian power in the region — a move perceived as pivotal to neutralizing DMK's dominance in Tamil Nadu.
With AIADMK again emerging as the BJP's strongest ally in the state, the announcement is considered a significant political shift. Pundits think the combined force of AIADMK and BJP might direct popular discontent with the ruling DMK and mobilize support among major voter groups.
With the political clock ticking to 2026, the question now is whether this revitalized coalition can translate unity into electoral success in one of India's most politically engaged and contentious states.
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