AIADMK, BJP will contest 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections together
Chennai : Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced on Friday that the AIADMK, BJP, and all allied parties will contest the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections together under the banner of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
Speaking at a joint press conference in Chennai alongside BJP’s Tamil Nadu chief K. Annamalai and AIADMK leader Edappadi K. Palaniswami, Shah said, “Leaders of both AIADMK and BJP have agreed that the alliance will contest the upcoming Vidhan Sabha elections unitedly as part of the NDA.”
He further emphasized that the elections will be fought under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership at the national level, and under Edappadi K. Palaniswami’s leadership within Tamil Nadu.
This development marks a significant step ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections, as the BJP aims to strengthen its foothold in Tamil Nadu after failing to win any seats in the last Lok Sabha elections.
Reaffirming the alliance’s unity, Shah clarified that the BJP will not interfere in the internal affairs of the AIADMK. “AIADMK has not placed any conditions or demands. We respect their autonomy, and this partnership will be mutually beneficial,” he stated.
Expressing strong optimism, Shah said he believes the NDA will achieve a decisive victory. “I am confident that the NDA will win a landslide majority in the upcoming elections and form the government in Tamil Nadu,” he declared.
The AIADMK, which has faced challenges in recent elections, formed an alliance with the BJP after the demise of party stalwart J. Jayalalithaa in 2016. Though the two parties contested the 2021 state elections together—resulting in four seats for the BJP—their alliance was dissolved in 2023. With this renewed partnership, both parties are hoping for a political resurgence in 2026.
