Debate With Arnab: AIADMK-BJP Tie-Up Likely? Could EPS Accept Annamalai and Move On?

Debate With Arnab:  AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami (EPS) met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi on Tuesday, igniting intense speculation about a potential reunion of BJP and AIADMK ahead of the 2026 assembly elections in Tamil Nadu. This political move has the potential to completely alter the power dynamics in Tamil Nadu. The 45-minute private conversation took place two years after the AIADMK openly ended its relationship with the BJP. However, the rekindled discussions indicate that the state's political dynamics are once again shifting.

The timing of his outreach cannot be overlooked, even though EPS played down the meeting, claiming that his visit was primarily to the recently opened AIADMK office in Delhi and that the main topic of his conversation with Amit Shah was the grievances of the people of Tamil Nadu.

In an attempt to keep all possibilities open, Palaniswami now states that a definitive decision regarding a BJP-AIADMK partnership will be made closer to the elections. The move could really shake the DMK, which has based its campaign on portraying itself as the sole defense against the BJP's national dominance.

Of course, there are several rounds of negotiations that would take place between BJP and AIADMK, especially given the turbulent end of their relationship before the 2024 Lok Sabha polls and AIADMK's open denouncement of BJP TN chief K Annamalai. Nevertheless, the partnership could drastically change Tamil Nadu's political landscape in 2026.