Chennai, April 11 (IANS) Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday formally announced that the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) will lead the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in Tamil Nadu, setting the stage for a joint campaign in the 2026 Assembly elections.

Addressing a press conference in Chennai, HM Shah described the AIADMK-BJP alliance as a “natural partnership” and confirmed that Edappadi K. Palaniswami (EPS), AIADMK’s general secretary, will be the NDA’s chief ministerial candidate in the state.

The declaration marks a significant political shift and revives a partnership that had collapsed in September 2023 following a bitter fallout.

The split was largely triggered by controversial remarks made by Tamil Nadu BJP president K. Annamalai, which offended the AIADMK leadership.

His comments about revered Dravidian leaders like C.N. Annadurai and J. Jayalalithaa had sparked outrage within the AIADMK and led to a public rift between the two parties.

The two parties had previously contested together in the 2019 Lok Sabha and 2021 Assembly elections.

In the 2021 polls, the BJP won four seats while the AIADMK secured 66.

However, relations soured after Annamalai’s appointment as state BJP chief, ultimately leading to the alliance’s breakdown ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

The split proved costly, as both parties suffered significant setbacks in the 2024 polls.

HM Shah arrived in Chennai in the early hours of Friday and was received at the airport by key BJP leaders, including state president K. Annamalai, Union Minister of State L. Murugan, and senior figures Tamilisai Soundararajan, Nainar Nagendran, and Pon Radhakrishnan.

During his visit, HM Shah held crucial discussions with senior BJP and RSS leaders, including a private meeting with S. Gurumurthy, editor of Thuglak magazine and an influential RSS ideologue.

These meetings were part of a strategic move to revive the alliance ahead of the 2026 elections.

Political observers note that the groundwork for this reunion had already been laid weeks earlier. EPS, along with senior AIADMK leaders and former ministers S.P. Velumani and K.P. Munusamy, had met HM Shah in New Delhi — a meeting that sparked widespread speculation about a possible rapprochement.

According to sources, the AIADMK leadership requested the BJP high command to consider replacing K. Annamalai to smoothen relations between the two parties.

In a significant development, Annamalai announced on April 4 that he was not seeking any official position within the party and would continue to serve as a loyal cadre — a statement that may have paved the way for renewed negotiations.

Senior RSS functionaries reportedly played a key role in reviving the alliance, urging the BJP central leadership to rebuild ties with a major Dravidian party.

With the DMK seen as a political adversary, the AIADMK emerged as the only viable option for the BJP to regain ground in Tamil Nadu. The announcement is expected to bring about a significant realignment in state politics.

With nearly a year left until the 2026 Assembly polls, both parties are likely to begin groundwork for campaign coordination, candidate selection, and constituency-level planning.

The revived alliance could reshape the electoral landscape in Tamil Nadu, as the NDA attempts to position itself as a serious contender against the ruling DMK.

Political analysts believe that a united AIADMK-BJP front could tap into anti-incumbency sentiment and mobilise key voter blocs across the state.

As the countdown to the 2026 elections begins, all eyes will now be on how this renewed alliance translates into on-the-ground momentum in one of India's most politically vibrant states.