EPS counters BJP's coalition govt pitch, says AIADMK will form govt with simple majority
After ruling State for 32 years how can an electoral strategy lead to AIADMK’s destruction, chief reassures party men, rebuts DMK's claims
AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami (PTI)
CHENNAI: Amid the BJP asserting a coalition government in the State post the 2026 Assembly elections, AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami firmly stated that the party aims to secure a single majority and form the government on its own.
Speaking at a party meeting in Kallakurichi on Sunday late evening, EPS sent a clear message to both the BJP and internal critics that AIADMK remains a strong, independent political force, capable of ruling without being overshadowed by its allies.
"No force" can dismantle or "absorb" the AIADMK that ruled the state for 32 years, he said to retort to the DMK's criticism that AIADMK turned subservient to the saffron party.
EPS clarified that the party's renewed alliance with the BJP was strategically aimed at consolidating anti-DMK votes, and not a sign of subservience. His remarks come in the wake of discomfort within the AIADMK ranks and files after Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP leaders asserted that the NDA would form the government with the BJP as a partner. This has reignited tensions, especially after the AIADMK severed ties with the BJP in 2023 due to disparaging comments made by the then-state BJP chief, K Annamalai, against AIADMK icons.
Despite the renewed alliance's shared goal of defeating the DMK, cohesion between the partners appears strained, with differing public narratives on power-sharing. BJP's state chief, Nainar Nagendran, has tried to downplay the friction, reaffirming that EPS remains the CM face of the alliance, and any final decision on government formation will be made collectively after the elections. Interestingly, AMMK leader TTV Dhinakaran, who is part of the NDA, echoed the voice of the BJP and hinted at the possibility of a "coalition government" in the State. This further irked the AIADMK senior leaders and cadre.
VCK leader Thol Thirumavalavan, reacting to Palaniswami's remarks, said that it is a clear message from the AIADMK leader to the BJP and its leaders who are trying to push the idea of a coalition government in 2026. This reveals that there is an "electoral tie-up without political convictions and unity" among them, the VCK chief said.
