Chennai, April 11:— The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) formally announced a renewed alliance on Friday, with Union Home Minister Amit Shah declaring that the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections will be contested under the leadership of AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami.
Addressing a joint press conference in Chennai, Shah appeared alongside Palaniswami and outgoing BJP Tamil Nadu president K. Annamalai, stating that while Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lead at the national level, the state will see a campaign led by Palaniswami. “AIADMK and BJP have decided to fight the upcoming elections together,” Shah said. “We will form a government led by Edappadi Palaniswami.”
The announcement comes nearly two years after the two parties split. Shah noted the long history of cooperation between the two parties dating back to 1998 and said that Modi and former Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa had worked to strengthen Centre-state relations during her tenure.
Despite past differences on select issues, the BJP leader signaled a pragmatic approach to the alliance. “We will sit and discuss any differences. If needed, there will be a Common Minimum Programme,” Shah said, responding to questions on policy divergences between the allies.
Shah also launched a scathing attack on the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), accusing the party of deflecting attention from core issues by raising matters such as Sanatan Dharma, the three-language policy, and delimitation. “People are demanding answers on scams. They will vote on issues that matter,” he remarked.
The BJP leader expressed confidence in the alliance’s prospects, claiming that the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) will secure a clear mandate in the state.
