Earlier this week, BJP’s Tamil Nadu ally AIADMK officially announced Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS) as the NDA’s chief ministerial face, making him the undisputed leader of both the party and the alliance. The resolution formally projecting EPS as the NDA leader for the 2026 Tamil Nadu polls and giving him full authority to counter the ruling DMK, is said to have the blessings of the BJP’s central leadership.
According to sources, BJP national general secretary (organisation) B L Santhosh and Union Home Minister Amit Shah are closely monitoring the Tamil Nadu alliance-building efforts. Meetings between the partners, including one between state BJP president Nainar Nagendran and EPS, also signal endorsement from the saffron party’s top leadership in Delhi, they add.
The BJP’s central leadership is keen to bring breakaway factions on board for building the contest against the DMK, like former Deputy chief minister O Panneerselvam (OPS), who heads the splinter AIADMK Workers’ Rights Retrieval Committee, and T T V Dhinakaran of the AMMK. Vesting EPS with authority and backing AIADMK’s leadership of the NDA in Tamil Nadu appear to be a step toward the common goal.
The NDA is also pursuing smaller parties to strengthen its front against the DMK in the upcoming Assembly elections. According to reports, EPS has held negotiations with the DMDK, the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK), and the Tamil Maanila Congress (TMC). Also on the NDA’s radar is actor Vijay’s TVK, though he remains elusive. In fact, Vijay’s moves will determine whether the contest becomes a straight fight between the DMK and the AIADMK or a three-cornered one with the TVK forming the third axis. EPS claims Chief Minister M K Stalin is rattled by the coming together of the AIADMK and the BJP.
In the 2021 Assembly elections, the NDA alliance managed to win only around 75 of the 234 Assembly constituencies in the elections that were won decisively by the DMK-led coalition, with the DMK securing 133 seats along with allies the Congress, the VCK, and the CPI, taking the total to 159.