AIADMK Revives BJP Alliance for 2026 Tamil Nadu Race

Tamil Nadu’s opposition All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam has formally renewed its electoral alliance with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party ahead of the 2026 state assembly election, party strategists and political commentators said on Monday. The tie-up, revived after months of negotiations, positions the two parties at the core of the National Democratic Alliance’s campaign to end the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam’s single term in office. AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami told supporters in Cuddalore that the coalition would contest the poll under his leadership and was confident of capitalising on what he described as mounting anti-incumbency against the DMK government. T.T.V. Dhinakaran, leader of the Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam and an NDA partner, echoed the sentiment, forecasting an outright victory for the bloc. The ruling DMK dismissed the challenge. Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin ridiculed the BJP’s influence in the state and branded the pact a marriage of convenience, while DMK spokespeople highlighted welfare programmes they say will secure a second term for Chief Minister M.K. Stalin. Analysts expect a three-cornered contest in 2026, with the strength of opposition unity and voter perceptions of the DMK’s delivery on its 2021 manifesto likely to determine the outcome.