As the NDA in the Dravidian heartland is rocked by desertions and renewed dissidence in the AIADMK, BJP national general secretary (Organisation) BL Santhosh on Tuesday participated in the party’s core committee meeting at Akkarai near the coastal heritage town Mammallapuram to review the alliance’s readiness for the upcoming 2026 assembly election and iron out the issues in the combine.
His arrival comes in the backdrop of AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami’s (EPS) visit to the national capital amid a fresh round of dissidence led by former minister and party veteran KA Sengottaiyan, whose 10-day ultimatum to the leadership to initiate talks for the homecoming of expelled leaders, O Panneerselvam and TTV Dhinakaran, to put up a united fight against the ruling DMK.
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Amid factional feud in the state unit of the BJP, he interacted with senior leaders and functionaries of the party. With elections barely eight months away, the Opposition bloc is facing one crisis after another. The OBC Vanniyar-dominant Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK), a potential ally of the BJP, is bedevilled by the fight between the father-son duo of party founder S Ramadoss and former Union Minister Anbumani. Another possible ally, the DMDK led by late actor Vijayakanth’s wife, Premalatha is yet to decide on the question of alliance.
Already the alliance was rocked by the desertion of rebel AIADMK leader and former Dy CM, O Panneerselvam and TTV Dhinakaran of Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK). With their wait for the BJP national leadership helping their re-entry into the AIADMK turning futile, both are believed to be moving closer to actor Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK). As such, Santhosh’s task is cut out.
Meanwhile, former TN BJP president K Annamalai, speaking at the meeting, claimed that EPS was getting a huge response, which was more than expected, in the ongoing state-wide campaign christened ‘Save the people and Retrieve TN’. “Significantly, EPS is praising the BJP and has acknowledged that the party saved his government. BJP cadre are also participating in EPS’s campaign,” he said, indicating that he has cast his lot with EPS.
“The BJP had planned to launch a campaign across the state along with leaders of the NDA constituents. BJP state president Nainar Nagenthiran would commence his tour of all the assembly constituencies from October,” he disclosed. Initially, it was said that Annamalai might skip the meeting due to indisposition.
