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AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami claimed that if the alliance led by his party, in which the BJP is a key constituent, wins the Tamil Nadu assembly election, it will not be a coalition government
Union Home Minister and BJP leader Amit Shah with AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami during a press conference, in Chennai. (Image: PTI)
The AIADMK on Wednesday ruled out the possibility of a coalition government in Tamil Nadu if the alliance led by his party, in which the BJP is the key constituent, wins the 2026 assembly election.
General secretary of the AIADMK, Edappadi K Palaniswami claimed that if the alliance wins the assembly election, it will not be a coalition government. Trying to quell the backtrack buzz his remarks triggered, the BJP, said the leader’s statement is being “misconstrued”.
Last week, Union Home Minister and senior BJP leader Amit Shah had said if the NDA wins, it will form a coalition government in the state. Top BJP sources told CNN-News18 that there is no truth to the buzz that the AIADMK is an unwilling ally.
“He is saying that the major lead in the alliance will be taken by the AIDMK, which is exactly what the home minister said on the day of the alliance formation. He has not made any comment about the BJP not being part of the government. It was assured that very day, and even before that, EPS (Edappadi K Palaniswami) will be the face of the coalition and the government if it is formed,” the sources said.
Speaking to reporters, Palaniswami, answering a question, said Shah had never said there would be an AIADMK-BJP coalition government in Tamil Nadu. “He did not say that (a coalition government),” he said.
He alleged that the relevant issue had been misunderstood, and requested the media to drop its “tricks”. What was declared on April 11 by Shah was that the AIADMK-BJP alliance will win the polls and a government shall be formed, he said, adding it does not denote a coalition government.
In effect, Palaniswami ruled out the scope for sharing power with the BJP if the alliance wins polls. The AIADMK top leader said Shah also made it categorical that the alliance will be led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the national level and as regards Tamil Nadu, it will be helmed by him. “You must understand, the matter is clear,” he said.
Reacting to Palaniswami’s comment, BJP Tamil Nadu President Nainar Nagenthran said Shah and Palaniswami will together take a decision on the matter and he underscored that the negotiation itself for firming up the alliance was held by his party’s national leadership.
In Tamil Nadu, though the DMK and AIADMK had always formed electoral alliances, they had never shared power with their allies.
(With PTI inputs)
