Chennai, April 16 (IANS) AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami (EPS) on Wednesday clarified that the party’s renewed alliance with the BJP is strictly for the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, ruling out the possibility of forming a coalition government with it.

“He (Union Minister Amit Shah) never spoke about forming a coalition government. We have entered into an electoral alliance, not a governance pact,” EPS told reporters after walking out of the Tamil Nadu Assembly.

The AIADMK staged the walkout in protest against the House not taking up the no-confidence motion it had moved against the ruling DMK government.

Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly Palaniswami was responding to persistent media queries regarding Union Home Minister Shah’s remarks during his visit to Chennai on April 11, where he had announced the revival of the AIADMK-BJP alliance and reportedly mentioned the formation of a “coalition government” in Tamil Nadu.

Brushing aside these claims, EPS accused the media of misinterpreting Union Minister Shah’s comments.

“Union Minister Shah said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lead the NDA at the national level, and I will lead the alliance in Tamil Nadu. It’s simple and unambiguous,” he reiterated.

The AIADMK severed ties with the BJP in September 2023 following a series of provocative remarks made by then state BJP president K. Annamalai. However, the alliance was revived on April 11, after months of behind-the-scenes negotiations and internal adjustments within the BJP.

A major precursor to the renewed alliance was the BJP high command’s decision to replace K. Annamalai with veteran leader and former minister Nainar Nagendran as the new state president, a move reportedly requested by the AIADMK to improve coordination between the two parties.

During his visit to Chennai, Union Minister Shah held key strategic meetings with senior BJP and RSS leaders. Notably, he also had a private discussion with Thughlak editor and RSS ideologue S. Gurumurthy, indicating the RSS’ active role in facilitating the alliance revival.

Political analysts believe the groundwork for the reunion was laid weeks in advance when EPS, along with senior AIADMK leaders S. P. Velumani and K. P. Munusamy, met Union Minister Shah in New Delhi – a meeting that sparked speculation about a rapprochement.

–IANS

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