Moving closer to the saffron party, the AIADMK appears all set to make its re-entry into the BJP-led NDA ahead of the 2026 Tamil Nadu assembly elections. However, party general secretary and former chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS) shied away from admitting it on Wednesday.

If anything, a EPS-led AIADMK delegation calling on BJP stalwart and Union Home Minister Amit Shah late on Tuesday in the national capital, more than two years after the Dravidian major walked out of the NDA and fought the 2024 Lok Sabha polls separately, clearly indicates the two parties coming together to take on the ruling DMK in the crucial southern state.

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While the meeting and Shah’s subsequent post on ‘X’ expressing confidence of having an NDA government in Tamil Nadu in 2026 after the elections set off speculation about the revival of ties, EPS told the media that revival of alliance was not discussed with the BJP veteran as the elections are still a year away. But there is more to it than what meets the eye. For, until recently, he had been very categorical in not having any sort of tie-up with the saffron party.

“We brought to his attention issues concerning Tamil Nadu, including the deteriorating law and order situation, safety of women and girl children as well as the inter-state water disputes over Cauvery water with Karnataka and Kerala’s intransigence in blocking strengthening of the Mullaiperiyar dam. We also urged that the Union government to release the pending dues to the state under the MNREGA scheme and SSA programme,” EPS told reporters in Delhi but got tensed up when asked about alliance with the BJP.

“Alliance was not discussed at the meeting that lasted for 45 minutes. Alliances are formed depending upon the political situation and context at the time of the elections. It is not certain that the DMK-led coalition would remain intact,” was his response to a pointed query on whether the AIADMK had buried the hatchet and teamed up with the BJP again.

Recently, hinting at the AIADMK putting the past behind, EPS has said that the party’s only enemy is the DMK and the priority was to unseat the Stalin government.

According to observers, with the threat of desertions from the AIADMK’s ranks EPS has been under pressure from a dominant section of the party to revive the alliance. Further, the attempt to rope in actor Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam for stitching an electoral front has not fructified. Had that been clinched, the BJP would not even be an option. As of now, only the DMDK of late film star Vijayakanth and a few outfits are with the AIADMK, leaving EPS with little option, explain observers. Sources in the party maintain that with a growing chorus within a section of the party EPS had to give up resistance to BJP as the saffron party too accommodated his concerns like the chief ministership.