CHENNAI: AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami on Thursday made a gentleman's gesture regarding Premalatha's decision not to ally with the NDA and to choose its rival, the DMK, saying, 'It is their wish.'
Speaking to reporters at the Assembly premises, Palaniswami said alliance decisions are taken by the respective party leaderships. Political observers suggest that the decision may be linked to the AIADMK's refusal to grant a Rajya Sabha seat to DMDK. Earlier, DMDK broke away from the AIADMK after the AIADMK refused to allot a Rajya Sabha seat to the party in 2025, as per the assurance.
Earlier, it was widely expected that the DMDK would join the AIADMK-led NDA for the upcoming Assembly elections. The party had earlier been part of the AIADMK alliance during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections too, and expectations were rife that the formal announcement on the party remaining in the front would
Not just the AIADMK, the saffron party was also holding simultaneous talks with the DMDK, in vain
be made soon, which were shattered with the Arivalayam meeting on Thursday.
Not just the AIADMK, the saffron party was also holding simultaneous talks with the DMDK to bring it back into the fold. Premalatha's participation in a Maha Shivaratri event at the Isha Foundation in Coimbatore, alongside former AIADMK Minister SP Velumani and Union Minister L Murugan, added fuel to the speculations.
However, alliance talks between AIADMK and DMDK failed to reach a desired conclusion. Subsequently, DMDK held discussions with the DMK and finalised its alliance with the ruling party.