2026 Tamil Nadu War Begins: AIADMK, BJP Unite Against DMK

Poonam Sharma

The politics of Tamil Nadu has witnessed a dramatic shift with the AIADMK executive committee’s official ratification of its renewed alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Held under presidium chairman Thamizhmagan Hussain in Chennai, the AIADMK adopted 16 resolutions, the most notable one being the unstinted approval of the BJP accord. This move, made almost exactly three weeks after the alliance was announced, marks a turning point in Tamil Nadu’s buildup to the 2026 Assembly election. The AIADMK has characterized this alliance as a “strategic decision” aimed at avoiding split votes for the opposition and has named the ruling DMK as the joint political opponent. In essence, the party has chosen pragmatism over ideology, prioritizing electoral math over its previously declared separation from the BJP.

What makes this realignment particularly noteworthy is the AIADMK’s careful outreach to minorities, traditionally wary of the BJP’s Hindutva-driven politics. One of the key resolutions emphasized that the party would remain the “protective shield” of minorities, citing its opposition to the Waqf Amendment Act as proof of its commitment. This marks a sense in the AIADMK leadership that there is danger in welcoming the BJP, especially in a state where Muslims and Christians collectively constitute close to 15% of the electorate and can be decisive in several constituencies. The party is trying to balance the BJP’s organizational and financial weight on one side and soothing minorities on the other that their interests won’t be neglected. Whether the minority voter accepts this double game is a matter of doubt, particularly in light of the memory of previous AIADMK claims that there would be no realignment with the BJP.

At the center of the meeting was Edappadi K. Palaniswami (EPS), who has become the AIADMK’s undisputed leader after years of internal turmoil following the death of Jayalalithaa. EPS employed the platform to mobilize the party’s functionaries, urging them to eschew public criticism of the BJP and instead work on developing booth-level committees, a manifestation of the party’s acknowledgment that it lost a lot of seats in the 2021 polls narrowly because of narrow margins. This emphasis on organizational discipline and micromanagement is imperative for the AIADMK in its quest to recapture its former electoral machinery muscle, particularly in rural districts where local connections count most. Palaniswami also touched a chord of hope, reassuring cadres that additional parties would soon accede to joining the AIADMK-led front, which appears to be an effort to create a broad-based anti-DMK front.

Notably, the resolutions of the executive committee were not limited to alliance issues alone. Most of the resolutions strongly condemned the DMK government, blaming it for failures on several fronts: economic mismanagement, decline in law and order, and silencing of opposition voices in the Assembly. The committee condemned the DMK for higher property and water taxes, the hike in the prices of building materials and essential commodities, and what it termed as the erosion of democratic practices. This belligerent anti-DMK stance outlines the shape of the AIADMK-BJP election strategy in 2026, which will probably revolve around stigmatizing the DMK as a corrupt, authoritarian, and economically inept regime. Through leveraging voter frustration against everyday concerns such as tax and price increases, the opposition coalition can mobilize an upsurge of anger that could be converted into votes.

The implications of this coalition extend beyond short-term electoral arithmetic. With the BJP returning to the fold of the AIADMK, national politics is likely to be more on center stage in the predominantly Dravidian political narrative of Tamil Nadu. Issues like the caste census, Kashmir—in light of the committee’s denunciation of the recent terror attack in Pahalgam—and national security concerns are likely to get greater hearing in poll rhetoric and media reporting. This shift could fundamentally reshape Tamil Nadu politics, which has historically resisted “Delhi-centric” themes and emphasized regional identity and autonomy.

However, this realignment is not without risks. Only in September 2023, the AIADMK had celebrated its exit from the BJP-led NDA, with cadres rejoicing in the streets. The sudden about-face of that position has the ability to cause internal divisions, especially among second-line leaders and local cadres who could feel betrayed or perplexed by the change of heart by the leadership. Keeping this internal opposition in check will be a key challenge for Palaniswami, who needs to keep the house together while marketing the alliance to a doubting voter base.

Overall, the AIADMK’s fresh alliance with the BJP signals the start of a highly polarized political fight in Tamil Nadu. It paves the way for a DMK vs AIADMK-BJP contest in 2026, with limited scope for the smaller players to act as kingmaker. The months ahead will tell if the AIADMK can successfully walk the tightrope of its local Dravidian identity and the BJP’s national ambitions, and if voters, particularly minorities, will believe its assurances. Organizational rejuvenation is on the cards, with an energetic anti-DMK campaign shaping up, as Tamil Nadu politics is set for a fierce, high-pitched election cycle that can redefine the state’s politics for years to come.