The opposition party in Tamil Nadu, AIADMK, on Sunday said that the party will forge a strong alliance for the next assembly elections, expressing confidence in returning to power by defeating the MK Stalin-led DMK.
AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS) emphasised that the party’s prospects in the assembly elections cannot be judged based on its poor performance in the Lok Sabha polls. He argued that the dynamics of assembly elections are distinct.
“AIADMK will form a strong alliance like everyone is expecting. Parliamentary elections are different, and assembly elections are different. 2026 is our election! It is the AIADMK’s election,” EPS said at the party’s general council meeting.
In the Lok Sabha elections, AIADMK drew a blank, losing its lone parliamentary seat, Theni, which it had won as part of the NDA in 2019. The INDIA alliance, led by the DMK, swept all 39 seats.
“There were several criticisms against AIADMK after the 2024 election results. Many raised questions about the lack of a proper alliance. Alliances come and go, but AIADMK’s principles are permanent,” EPS, who is the Leader of Opposition in Tamil Nadu assembly, stressed.
The AIADMK severed its alliance with the BJP in September 2023, citing differences with BJP state chief K. Annamalai. However, in November, EPS’s comments on alliances sparked speculations of a possible reunion between the two parties.
EPS stated that his party would consider forming an alliance with any party committed to ousting the “anti-people” DMK and willing to accept AIADMK’s leadership. However, both AIADMK and BJP later dismissed the speculations.
Rumours were also rife about a possible alliance between AIADMK and actor Vijay’s Tamizhaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK), but this was dismissed by Vijay’s party.
‘DMK DAYDREAMING’
AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami pointed out that the party narrowly lost the 2021 assembly elections, attributing DMK’s victory to “false promises”.
“We couldn’t form the government in 2021 due to a small margin of around 1.98 lakh votes. It’s not a huge difference. DMK didn’t win by a landslide. They spread lies and made false promises to fool the people,” EPS said.
He also highlighted AIADMK’s performance in the 2024 elections, stating, “Despite not announcing a PM candidate, not having a strong alliance, or being in government, we secured over 20 per cent of the votes. On the other hand, DMK, with all these factors in their favour, managed only 26 pe cent, much lower than their 2019 performance”.
EPS argued that this trend would work in AIADMK’s favour in the upcoming assembly elections.
He dismissed DMK’s claim of winning 200 seats in the 2026 assembly elections as “daydreaming”.
“DMK says they will win 200 seats in the 2026 assembly elections. They are daydreaming. It will never come true. There is a new sense of awakening among the people against DMK. That itself is our victory,” he asserted.
The next election to elect all 234 members of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly is expected to be held in April–May 2026.
