AIADMK hits back after Amit Shah claims NDA will form govt in Tamil Nadu
Amit Shah claims NDA will form a coalition government in Tamil Nadu post-2026 elections, prompting backlash from AIADMK and DMK parties.
Union home minister Amit Shah told a Tamil daily that the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) will form a coalition government in Tamil Nadu after the 2026 assembly elections, sparking a political controversy and push back from the Dravidian party on Friday.
“The NDA will form the government in Tamil Nadu after the 2026 assembly elections and the BJP will be a part of it,” Shah replied to a question on whether the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP”) will be part of the coalition government in an interview to Tamil daily Dina Thanthi, which was published on Friday.
Shah also addressed his recent statement on English. “I said the importance of regional languages should increase,” he said. “And we should make efforts so that by 2047, all Indians speak in regional languages.”
AIADMK spokesperson and former minister C Vaigaichelvan appeared to contradict Shah’s statement, saying there was no history of a coalition government in Tamil Nadu. “So far, people of Tamil Nadu have not accepted such a coalition government and it doesn’t look like it,” Vaigaichelvan said, adding that their common goal was to defeat the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK).
AIADMK general secretary Edappadi Palaniswami (EPS) will speak in detail on the issue, he added.
{{/usCountry}}AIADMK general secretary Edappadi Palaniswami (EPS) will speak in detail on the issue, he added.
{{/usCountry}}The BJP and the AIADMK were allies, but had a bitter parting of ways in 2023 over several issues, including former BJP state unit chief K Annamalai’s criticism of AIADMK leaders. The two parties fought the Lok Sabha elections in 2024 separately. The AIADMK registered a 20.4% vote share in one of its worst Lok Sabha performances, while the BJP, contesting in more number of seats, registered one of its best performances in Tamil Nadu with a 11.4% vote share, though parties won zero seats
{{/usCountry}}The BJP and the AIADMK were allies, but had a bitter parting of ways in 2023 over several issues, including former BJP state unit chief K Annamalai’s criticism of AIADMK leaders. The two parties fought the Lok Sabha elections in 2024 separately. The AIADMK registered a 20.4% vote share in one of its worst Lok Sabha performances, while the BJP, contesting in more number of seats, registered one of its best performances in Tamil Nadu with a 11.4% vote share, though parties won zero seats
{{/usCountry}}In April 2025, the two parties came together again though talks of renewing the alliance began after the 2024 general elections. “After the AIADMK’s performance in the Lok Sabha and the BJP also not meeting its target. a section of party leaders as well as Sangh functionaries suggested renewing the alliance,” said a senior BJP aware of the details after the alliance was announced.
{{/usCountry}}In April 2025, the two parties came together again though talks of renewing the alliance began after the 2024 general elections. “After the AIADMK’s performance in the Lok Sabha and the BJP also not meeting its target. a section of party leaders as well as Sangh functionaries suggested renewing the alliance,” said a senior BJP aware of the details after the alliance was announced.
{{/usCountry}}At the time, Shah had also made a similar statement on a coalition government, creating some confusion between the allies. At the time, both BJP state chief Nainar Nagendran and EPS had clarified that Shah had only meant that the NDA, led by the AIADMK, will form the government.
However, on Friday they seemed to take different approaches. “The Union home minister and EPS will discuss this,” Nagendran told reporters when asked about the possibility of a coalition government.
Other state BJP leaders, including former Union minister Pon Radhakrishnan, shared Shah’s interview and said there will be a coalition government in 2026 by the NDA.
Both the Dravidian majors, the DMK and the AIADMK, have historically resisted coalition governments in Tamil Nadu, even though they have been part of coalition governments at the national level.
In the 2006 assembly elections, when no party had an absolute majority, then DMK chief M Karunanidhi formed a minority government with outside support from parties such as the Congress and Left parties.
Vaigaichelvan, on Friday, said that during the 1980 Tamil Nadu assembly elections –– when the DMK and the Congress proposed a coalition government, people of Tamil Nadu rejected them and voted the AIADMK as the single largest party. In the interview, Shah said that the CM candidate will be from the AIADMK, but did not explicitly name EPS.
Former AIADMK minister Rajendra Balaji said that the two parties had arrived at a joint decision that the AIADMK will lead the NDA, and that EPS will be the CM candidate. “I don’t know in what context the Union home minister said there will be a coalition government. EPS will make a final decision,” Balaji told reporters.
This comes at a time when the AIADMK has already opposed the criticism of Dravidian stalwarts EV Ramasamy (Periyar) and CN Annadurai at the Murugan conference held on June 22 by right wing group Hindu Munnani, and backed by the BJP.
On other issues such as the controversy over the Keeladi archaeological report, Shah said that the Union government will be proud of proof of an ancient civilisation anywhere in India, but added that Tamil Nadu must cooperate to prove findings as per international standards. Chief minister M K Stalin has accused the central government of refusing to accept the scientific proof of findings in Keeladi out of a hatred for Tamil pride and because the evidence doesn’t suit the script of the BJP.
Shah accused Stalin of trying to deviate attention from corruption and law and order problems, by using delimitation, and promised that the Prime Minister will not allow injustices towards Tamil Nadu.
