Chennai: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday announced that the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and other alliance partners will contest the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections together under the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) banner.

Speaking at a press conference in Chennai alongside BJP Tamil Nadu president K. Annamalai and AIADMK leader Edappadi K. Palaniswami (EPS), Shah confirmed that the decision to contest as a united front had been reached by leaders of both parties.

"AIADMK and BJP leaders have decided that AIADMK, BJP and all the alliance parties will contest the upcoming Vidhan Sabha elections in Tamil Nadu together as NDA," Shah said.

Shah further clarified the leadership hierarchy under which the elections will be contested.

"These elections will be contested under the leadership of PM Modi on a national level and under the leadership of AIADMK leader Edappadi K Palaniswami on the state level," he stated.

Focus on strengthening BJP’s presence

The BJP is looking to increase its political foothold in Tamil Nadu, a state where the party failed to secure any seats in the previous Lok Sabha elections. The renewed alliance is seen as a strategic move aimed at improving the BJP’s electoral performance in the state.

Addressing concerns over internal interference, Shah assured that the BJP would not meddle in the internal affairs of the AIADMK and emphasised the amicable nature of the partnership.

"AIADMK has no conditions and demands. We will have no interference in the internal matters of the AIADMK. This alliance is going to be beneficial to both NDA and AIADMK," he said.

Sharp criticism of DMK government

Amit Shah also launched a strong attack on the ruling DMK government in Tamil Nadu, accusing it of large-scale corruption and administrative failures. Speaking about the upcoming Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, Shah also reaffirmed the BJP’s alliance with the AIADMK, declaring a united front against the DMK.

Addressing a public gathering, Shah alleged that the people of Tamil Nadu would vote in the next election based on issues such as “corruption, law and order, and atrocities against Dalits and women.”

He accused the DMK government, led by Chief Minister MK Stalin, of being involved in several major scams.

“The DMK government committed a Rs 39,000 crore liquor scam, a sand mining scam, an energy scam, an ELCOT scam, a transport scam, and money laundering scams,” he said. Shah added that there are “many other scams for which the DMK should answer to the people of Tamil Nadu.”

Shah said that the people of Tamil Nadu are now questioning both Chief Minister Stalin and his son, Udhayanidhi Stalin.

“The people of Tamil Nadu are seeking answers from Udhayanidhi and Stalin,” he remarked.

Confident of a landslide victory

The Union Minister expressed strong confidence that the NDA would emerge victorious in the forthcoming assembly elections.

"I am confident that in the upcoming elections, NDA will again secure a landslide majority and NDA government will be formed in Tamil Nadu once again," Shah asserted.

Background to the alliance

The AIADMK joined hands with the BJP following the demise of party leader J Jayalalithaa in 2016. The alliance contested the 2021 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, where the BJP won four seats. However, in 2023, the AIADMK parted ways with the BJP, only to realign now ahead of the 2026 polls.

(Agency inputs)