CHENNAI: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday placed Tamil Nadu firmly on the National Democratic Alliance's 2026 electoral map, projecting the State as the next arena for the BJP-led coalition's national expansion under Prime Minister Narendra Modi and signalling a decisive bid to dislodge the ruling DMK.
Addressing the closing ceremony of BJP state president Nainar Nagenthran's "Tamizhagam Thalai Nimira Tamizhanin Payanam" (yatra) in Pudukkottai, Shah declared that the NDA would form the government in Tamil Nadu in April 2026. Casting the upcoming Assembly election as a clear political choice, he said the State must decide between what he described as dynastic politics and a development-oriented governance model aligned with the Centre.
Seeking a public mandate from party workers, Shah asked whether Tamil Nadu wanted an NDA government under Modi's leadership, drawing a mass response from the gathering. He framed the election as part of a broader national political contest, asserting that the NDA's momentum across India would extend to southern and eastern States, including Tamil Nadu and West Bengal.
Opening his address with an apology for not being able to speak fluent Tamil, Shah paid tribute to the State's civilisational heritage, saluting the Alwars, Nayanmars and Siddhars, invoking Shaivite traditions, and recalling Pudukkottai's place in the Chola empire. He also paid homage to freedom fighter JC Kumarappa.
Calling the BJP–AIADMK partnership a "natural and winning alliance", Shah underlined its electoral continuity, recalling that the two parties had contested together in 1998, 2019 and 2021. Even in 2024, when they fought separately, he claimed a combined vote share would have delivered victories in 26 Lok Sabha constituencies. He said the NDA would soon expand into a broader alliance in the State.
Launching a sustained attack on the DMK, Shah accused the government of presiding over what he termed one of the most corruption-ridden administrations in the country, citing multiple alleged scandals, including the cash-for-jobs case, money-laundering allegations, and infrastructure-linked irregularities. He questioned the State's economic model, alleging that governance had become dependent on commissions, liquor revenues and mounting debt.
Shah said widespread protests by government employees, teachers, sanitation workers and anganwadi staff reflected administrative distress. He also accused the DMK of pursuing dynastic succession, centred on installing Chief Minister MK Stalin's son, Udhayanidhi Stalin, as his successor.
Rejecting claims that the NDA was hostile to Tamil identity, Shah pointed to initiatives under Modi, including civil services examinations in Tamil, Tamil announcements at railway stations, the installation of the Sengol in Parliament, and sharply higher central funding for Tamil Nadu.
Union Ministers Piyush Goyal, Arjun Ram Meghwal and L Murugan, along with senior NDA leaders, were present. BJP workers from Pudukkottai district presented Shah with a silver idol of Lord Ganesha at the conclusion of the yatra.