TTV Dhinakaran Leaves NDA Ahead of 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly Elections

Chennai: In a major political development ahead of the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK) leader TTV Dhinakaran on Wednesday announced that his party will no longer be a part of BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

His decision came just weeks after former chief minister O Panneerselvam (OPS) parted ways from the alliance. The exit of TTV Dhinakaran is politically significant for the BJP in Tamil Nadu’s pre-poll landscape.

Speaking to reporters at Kattumannarkoil in Cuddalore, Dhinakaran indirectly lashed out at AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS). He reportedly said that his party started its journey against betrayal and it won’t carry them any longer. 

As per reports, Dhinakaran said that he had waited months for BJP’s central leadership to resolve the growing rift, but claimed the efforts had failed. 

Hinting at a future political alliance, the AMMK chief acknowledged that Vijay’s newly launched Tamizhaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) could play a decisive role in the 2026 elections.

The AMMK, which contested from Theni and Tiruchirappalli under the NDA umbrella in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections but failed to make an impact, had reportedly been sidelined ever since the BJP revived ties with the AIADMK.

With OPS and Dhinakaran out of the NDA, the BJP-AIADMK team faces fresh challenges in strengthening its base ahead of the crucial 2026 elections in Tamil Nadu.