2026 TN Assembly polls will be between DMK and TVK: Vijay

Chennai, April 12 (IANS) Tamil superstar-turned-politician and president of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), Vijay, has declared that the 2026 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly elections will be a direct contest between the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and his party, sidelining the recently revived AIADMK-BJP alliance.

Vijay dismissed the AIADMK-BJP alliance as irrelevant, claiming that it had already been rejected by the people of Tamil Nadu thrice.

He alleged that the AIADMK leadership had strayed far from the ideals of its founding leader, M.G. Ramachandran (MGR), and asserted that MGR’s blessings now rest with the TVK.

Vijay further accused both the DMK and AIADMK of covertly working in support of the BJP.

“While the AIADMK is an open ally of the BJP, the DMK is its hidden partner,” he claimed, positioning TVK as the only credible alternative to the two Dravidian majors.

His remarks come a day after Union Home Minister Amit Shah formally announced that the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) will lead the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in Tamil Nadu.

The move paves the way for a joint campaign by the two parties ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections.

Addressing a press conference in Chennai, Amit Shah described the renewed partnership as a “natural alliance” and named AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami (EPS) as the NDA’s chief ministerial candidate in the state.

This revival marks a significant political development, as the AIADMK and BJP had parted ways in September 2023 following a bitter fallout.

The rift was triggered by controversial statements made by Tamil Nadu BJP president K. Annamalai, particularly remarks targeting revered Dravidian leaders like C.N. Annadurai and J. Jayalalithaa, which provoked widespread backlash within the AIADMK.

Despite their earlier collaborations in the 2019 Lok Sabha and 2021 Assembly elections - where the BJP won four seats and the AIADMK secured 66 - the alliance faltered after Annamalai’s elevation to the state party chief.

AIADMK and the BJP’s eventual split ahead of the 2024 general elections proved politically costly, with both parties suffering severe electoral setbacks.

With the 2026 elections approaching, Vijay’s TVK is positioning itself as a formidable new force, aiming to disrupt the long-standing dominance of the DMK and AIADMK in Tamil Nadu’s political landscape.

--IANS

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