Nadda calls for unified NDA strategy in Tamil Nadu, reviews BJP’s poll preparedness

Union Minister and BJP national president JP Nadda on Saturday emphasized the need for effective coordination among NDA partners to unseat the ruling DMK in Tamil Nadu. He urged party functionaries to engage with the electorate in a disciplined and sustained manner.

With the AIADMK—the principal opposition party in the state—rejoining the NDA, there is renewed optimism within the BJP about securing a significant presence in the Tamil Nadu Assembly in the 2026 elections. In this context, Nadda’s leadership of the BJP core committee meeting in Chennai holds particular importance.

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Aware of internal factions within the BJP, Nadda underscored the importance of unity of purpose and offered strategies for expanding and strengthening the party. According to party sources, he stressed the need for seamless coordination among NDA allies.

The AIADMK, leading the NDA in Tamil Nadu, is reportedly working to bring additional parties into the alliance. It is expected that the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK), which holds significant sway among OBC-Vanniyar communities in northern Tamil Nadu, and the DMDK founded by the late actor Vijayakanth, along with other smaller outfits, will join the NDA to mount a formidable challenge to the DMK.

While presiding over the core committee meeting, Nadda urged party workers to focus on first-time voters and intensify booth-level mobilization efforts, sources said. The meeting was attended by Tamil Nadu BJP president Nainar Nagendran, party in-charge for the state P. Sudhakar Reddy, former Telangana Governor Dr. Tamilisai Soundararajan, and BJP Mahila Morcha national president and MLA Vanathi Srinivasan, among others.

Earlier in the day, while inaugurating the Sixth International Saiva Siddhantha Conference organized by the Dharmapuram Adheenam on the outskirts of Chennai, Nadda said that Saiva Siddhantha is more than a philosophy; it represents a civilizational ethos explaining the relationship between the divine and the world.

He noted that this philosophy, deeply embedded in Tamil Nadu’s spiritual heritage, emphasizes liberation through devotion and virtue. The sacred hymns of the Saivite quartet, the Thevaram, he said, convey a universal message for all humanity.

Governor RN Ravi, speaking at the same event, remarked that the Saivite Agamas are profoundly philosophical texts that have illuminated the spiritual landscape of Bharat. He emphasized that a high level of scholarship is needed to understand and appreciate these works.