Fuelling speculation of the alliance talks between the BJP and the AIADMK gathering momentum ahead of the 2026 Tamil Nadu assembly elections, the saffron party’s state president K Annamalai landed in the national capital on Thursday, a day after the Dravidian major’s general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS) meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

With a section of BJP leaders in Tamil Nadu, including former Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajuan, batting for the AIADMK’s return to the NDA fold, Annamalai too has, of late, softened his stance on the Dravidian party. It is in this context, his visit to Delhi, where he is expected to have a meeting with Shah, has kindled interest in political circles.

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Though EPS maintains that revival of alliance was not on the table and only issues concerning the state were discussed with Shah, he continues to reiterate that the DMK is the AIADMK’s enemy and those aligned with unseating it from power are welcome. Unlike in the past, in a nuanced approach, he did not rule out the possibility of a re-entry into the NDA, saying only at the time of elections an alliance could be formed. Despite walking out of the NDA prior to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, he refrained from criticising the Union government or the BJP’s national leadership while treating Annamalai as his bete noire. For, both hailing from the dominant OBC Goundar community in Western Tamil Nadu – Kongu Belt – are vying for leadership in that region, which has been a pocket borough of the AIADMK, say analysts.

Annamalai, in his attempt to cobble up a BJP-led front and position the saffron party as an alternative to the DMK, could succeed in bringing minor players like the PMK and the Tamil Maanila Congress of former Union Minister GK Vasan for the 2024 Lok Sabha election. For the assembly election, even these allies are pressing for getting the AIADMK on board to put up a strong fight against the ruling DMK. For, the BJP drew a blank in 2024, despite Prime Minister Narendra Modi visiting the state many times for election campaign. Now, the national leadership of the party appears to have a rethink in its strategy for Tamil Nadu.