Chennai: AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi Palaniswami announced on Saturday that his party would not form an alliance with the BJP for the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections scheduled for 2026.
"AIADMK will not contest the 2026 Assembly elections in Tamil Nadu in alliance with the BJP," stated Palaniswami while addressing reporters in Salem.
This decision comes amidst ongoing discussions by leaders from both parties regarding the potential impact of a joint AIADMK-BJP front in the recently-concluded Lok Sabha elections on the DMK-led INDIA alliance in Tamil Nadu. Reflecting on the party's performance in the Lok Sabha elections, the former Chief Minister highlighted, "I campaigned alone for all the AIADMK candidates across the state, whereas the BJP and INDIA alliance had several national and state level leaders who went around campaigning in full throttle."
He further emphasized that despite facing challenges and misinformation, AIADMK managed to increase its vote share by 1 per cent compared to the 2019 elections, which he considers a significant achievement.
Palaniswami also dismissed claims of the BJP-led NDA gaining traction in the southern state and asserted that AIADMK's votes did not transfer to any other party.
"Many are trying to project that the BJP has grown in Tamil Nadu. In 2014, NDA's vote share was 18.80 per cent. In 2024, the NDA's vote share is 18.28 per cent. So it's wrong to say that the BJP alliance has grown in TN. The vote share of BJP and DMK has gone down. But the media keeps talking only about AIADMK saying our votes have gone to others. Our votes haven’t gone anywhere," he clarified.
Palaniswami also extended his congratulations to Narendra Modi on assuming the Office of Prime Minister for the third consecutive term.
"I extend my hearty congratulations on behalf of the AIADMK to honourable Narendra Modi, on assuming the office of Prime Minister of India for the third consecutive term," Palaniswami conveyed in his message.
In the Lok Sabha elections, both AIADMK and BJP failed to secure any seats in Tamil Nadu, with Chief Minister MK Stalin-led Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) emerging victorious by winning 22 of the 40 constituencies in the southern state. DMK's INDIA bloc ally Congress secured 9 seats.
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