Tamil Nadu elections: Why AIADMK–BJP tie-up talks remain inconclusive

Union Home Minister Amit Shah took part in a Pongal celebration event named 'Namma Ooru Modi Pongal' organised by the BJP Mahila Morcha at Mannarpuram this week.

• AIADMK and BJP show alliance tensions ahead of Tamil Nadu election
• Amit Shah confident of NDA win, but Palaniswami claims solo majority
• Uncertainty disrupts NDA campaign planning in the state

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The AIADMK and BJP are speaking in different voices just months ahead of the Tamil Nadu election, with no clarity yet on the alliance or seat-sharing arrangements.

In a bid to blend cultural outreach with political messaging ahead of the high-stakes state Assembly elections, Union Home Minister Amit Shah kicked off the Pongal celebrations of his party by participating at the “Namma Ooru Modi Pongal” in Trichy this week.

While sounding the BJP campaign bugle in the state this week, Shah expressed confidence that the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) will secure victories in the upcoming Tamil Nadu election. The minister said BJP is prepared to lead a "strong alliance" with the AIADMK and other regional partners.

However, Shah never mentioned AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami’s name during his entire speech at the event.

Palanisami, on the other hand, contradicted Shah’s statement saying that his party will form a majority government on its own. According to reports, Palaniswami did not call on Shah citing prior engagements.

The two different statements and Palansiwami skipping a personal meeting with Shah hints at the growing tension within the NDA which is struggling to expand its footprint in a state where the BJP has never formed a government on its own.

Senior leader SP Velumani met Shah but was tight-lipped about what transpired in the meeting.

Currently, the partners in NDA in Tamil Nadu are the AIADMK, the BJP, and three small parties—the Tamil Maanila Congress (M), the Indiya Jananayaka Katchi, and the Puratchi Bharatham Katchi.

The other party which had extended unconditional support to the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha election, the Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK), has made it clear that it will not support the NDA in Tamil Nadu if Palaniswami is the Chief Minister candidate.

The BJP and Palaniswami do not see eye to eye on the course the alliance must take to put up a strong contest against the DMK-Congress-Left combine.

According to reports, BJP is believed to be pally with former AIADMK functionaries such as O Panneerselvam and TTV Dhinakaran, who either quit or were expelled from the party due to their differences with Palaniswami.

Palaniswami may also be fearing that the BJP could welcome these leaders back and challenge his grip over AIADMK. The prolonged uncertainty has also disrupted NDA’s campaign planning in the state.

According to Frontline, the BJP has insisted from the time the coalition was stitched up in April 2025 that Tamil Nadu will have an NDA government.

On the other hand, BJP will also need to bring its own house in order as its former president Annamalai, popular among the core BJP supporters, has skipped key meetings.

According to party insiders, any final decision will depend on last-minute political calculations and the pressure to consolidate anti-DMK votes.