“We Will Form the Government”: AIADMK Asserts Leadership in Alliance with BJP Ahead of 2026 Tamil Nadu Polls

NDC DESK

Chennai – All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) chief Edappadi K. Palaniswami made a bold statement on Tuesday, declaring that his party will lead a single-party government in Tamil Nadu if the AIADMK-led alliance secures victory in the upcoming 2026 Assembly elections.

The assertion, made amid ongoing speculation about potential power-sharing negotiations with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), sends a strong signal about the AIADMK’s intentions. While the two parties have previously contested elections together—in 2019 at the national level and again in 2021 at the state level—Palaniswami made it clear that this time, governance will be led solely by his party.

“Our alliance will win… but the AIADMK will form the government on its own,” Palaniswami, popularly known as EPS, said during a public interaction. “This alliance is led by us. I will be the Chief Minister. The BJP has also clarified this position. What more clarity is needed?”

His remarks come as a direct response to questions about the future dynamics of the AIADMK-BJP partnership, especially in the wake of their rocky relationship in recent years. In 2023, the alliance fractured following controversial remarks made by K. Annamalai, then BJP’s Tamil Nadu unit chief, about AIADMK’s political stalwarts.

Despite the previous fallout, both parties have hinted at a potential electoral understanding to challenge the ruling DMK-Congress coalition. However, EPS emphasized that any collaboration with the BJP would be strictly limited to the election campaign.

“There are no rifts in the alliance,” he said, brushing aside media speculation about discord. “The AIADMK will win a majority and form the government independently.”

The BJP, for its part, chose to downplay Palaniswami’s comments, reiterating that its primary focus is on dislodging the DMK from power in 2026.

As Tamil Nadu’s political landscape begins to heat up ahead of the state polls, Palaniswami’s firm stance may shape not only alliance strategies but also voter perception in a state where the BJP has historically struggled to gain a foothold.