Premalatha delays alliance call in hopes of catching last bus

CHENNAI: DMDK general secretary Premalatha Vijayakant on Thursday signalled that her party will keep the alliance door open in the run-up to the 2026 Assembly elections, deliberately prolonging suspense over the party's political direction as she seeks to maximise its bargaining power across competing Dravidian and national fronts.

Addressing reporters after chairing a meeting of district secretaries at the party headquarters in Koyambedu here, Premalatha projected the evolving political climate as "highly fluid" and said that the DMDK would reveal its final alliance decision only "at the appropriate time." She said the announcement could come at any time, before the party's January 9 Cuddalore conference. The announcement could be made during the event, or much closer to the polls, she said, in an apparent attempt to push the decision as late as possible.

"Earlier, we said our alliance choice would be revealed at the Cuddalore conference. That still holds. But we may announce it by January 9, or before that, or even after," she said.

Senior party functionaries described her renewed ambiguity as a deliberate strategy to project the DMDK as a high-demand political asset at a time when all major formations are recalibrating their pre-poll arithmetic. "This is purely to keep the demand alive," a senior DMDK leader told DT Next.

"Talks are going on with the AIADMK, BJP, DMK and TVK. The DMDK has asked for 14–20 seats in the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance, 23–30 in the AIADMK-led NDA, and 50-plus seats if it aligns with the TVK. But the DMK is ready to offer only 8–9 seats and one Rajya Sabha seat. To strengthen her bargaining edge, she is playing a shrewd waiting game," the DMDK leader said.

Insiders added that even senior cadre find it tough to predict Premalatha's next move, given her fiercely transactional approach to alliances. "Whichever front offers a comfortable seat package and satisfactory financial backing will be her choice," a party source said bluntly. "Until late December, no one can say which way we will go. The DMK is aggressively courting us, the AIADMK–BJP combine is keen to retain us, and the TVK hasn't shown interest yet. But Premalatha and Sudhish are determined to keep all options open till the last moment."