AIADMK meet on Dec 15 to mull alliances for 2026 Assembly polls

Chennai, Nov 27 (IANS) The principal Opposition party of Tamil Nadu, the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) will hold a general council and executive committee meeting on December 15 and mull alliances for the 2026 Assembly polls.

Party General Secretary and Leader of Opposition in Tamil Nadu Assembly, Edappadi K. Palaniswami (EPS) in a statement on Wednesday said that the meeting will be held at Chennai.

The meeting assumes significance as the AIADMK is pitching for new alliances for the 2026 Assembly elections.

IANS had earlier reported that the AIADMK is in discussions with the Dalit political party, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) and the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK).

The VCK, it may be noted, holds significant influence among Dalit voters in Tamil Nadu, while the PMK commands a strong vote bank in northern Tamil Nadu among the Vanniyar community.

Currently, VCK is part of the DMK-led alliance, with four MLAs and two MPs.

However, tensions have emerged within the coalition.

Recently, VCK Deputy General Secretary Aadhav Arjuna remarked that the party’s leader and MP, Thol Thirumavalavan, has the right to become the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu.

He also criticised the DMK for not offering ministerial positions to its alliance partners.

This statement drew sharp reactions from the DMK, prompting VCK General Secretary and MP D. Ravikumar to clarify that it was the personal opinion of Aadhav Arjuna, not the party’s official stance.

The PMK, currently aligned with the BJP in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), is another key player in Tamil Nadu’s political landscape.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections and the 2021 Assembly polls, the PMK, BJP, and AIADMK were part of the NDA coalition.

However, with IPS officer-turned-politician K. Annamalai taking over as the BJP’s Tamil Nadu President, relations between the AIADMK and BJP have soured, leading to a break-up of the alliance.

While some BJP leaders in Tamil Nadu have called for a reunion with the AIADMK, the Dravidian party has categorically ruled out such a possibility.

Adding to the mix is Tamil superstar Vijay, who has recently entered politics with his party, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK).

In his inaugural public address in Vikkaravandi, Villupuram district, on October 27, Vijay criticised both the DMK and BJP but refrained from attacking the AIADMK. He even invoked the legacy of AIADMK founder and iconic Chief Minister M.G. Ramachandran (MGR).

Vijay’s entry has further opened up the political arena in Tamil Nadu.

It may be recalled that the AIADMK, failed to win a single seat in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections from Tamil Nadu and Puducherry and has to build a formidable alliance to challenge the ruling DMK.

Coimbatore-based political analyst M.R. Subramanian remarked, “The AIADMK’s effort to forge new alliances is commendable. Aligning with VCK, a Dalit party, and PMK, a Vanniyar political party, could create a robust social engineering model, strengthening its position against the DMK in the 2026 Assembly polls.”

However, he added that it remains to be seen whether the VCK will leave the DMK-led alliance to join hands with the AIADMK.

—IANS

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