CHENNAI: After struggling to stitch together an alliance to take on the ruling DMK-led INDIA bloc, the opposition alliance led by AIADMK got a shot in the arm on Wednesday after the PMK faction led by Anbumani Ramadoss joined the NDA. Sources said the party has been allotted 17 Assembly seats and was promised one Rajya Sabha seat.

Hours later, however, PMK founder Dr S Ramadoss, who is locked in a bitter factional feud with his son Anbumani, said it was illegal and contempt of court, as he alone was authorised to lead the party.

The PMK is the first major party to formally join the AIADMK–BJP combine after the revival of the alliance in April 2025. The three parties had contested together in the 2021 Assembly elections.

However, the AIADMK parted ways with the BJP ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, while the PMK remaining in the alliance. Following the parliamentary elections, differences surfaced within the PMK between Ramadoss and Anbumani, leading to the two factions functioning separately.

On Wednesday morning, Anbumani, along with senior leaders, including K Balu, met AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami at his Greenways Road residence.

Announcing the alliance, Palaniswami said it had been forged with the clear objective of unseating the ‘anti-people’ DMK government. He expressed confidence that the alliance would secure a majority of the 234 Assembly seats and form the next government, promising an administration responsive to public needs and committed to strengthening Tamil Nadu.

He confirmed that the number of seats had been finalised, adding that detailed seat-sharing arrangements would be announced later. The AIADMK leader added that more parties would join the alliance led by him, but declined to comment on whether talks would be held with senior Ramadoss.

Anbumani said the decision reflected the expectations of PMK cadres and marked a significant moment for the party. He described the AIADMK-led coalition as a strong alliance determined to remove the DMK, alleging that its government failed the people on several fronts, including rampant corruption, women’s safety, social justice, and issues concerning government employees, fishermen, students, and workers. Citing feedback from his recent 100-day padayatra, he claimed public anger against the DMK was evident across villages and cities.

In the 2021 Assembly elections, the PMK had contested 23 seats as part of the AIADMK alliance and won five.

Responding to the development, PMK founder Ramadoss said on Wednesday said he alone was authorised to lead the party and hold talks on electoral alliances following the Delhi High Court verdict.

In a statement, he said he had been elected party president from December 17, 2025, with the approval of the executive committee and general council, and the decision had been conveyed to the Election Commission of India. Any moves by Anbumani to negotiate alliances were illegal and amounted to contempt of court, he said.

Ramadoss also announced that applications from aspirants seeking to contest the 2026 Assembly elections in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry would be received at his Thailapuram office from January 9.