Chennai, Nov 13 (IANS) AIADMK General Secretary and former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami (EPS) on Wednesday announced that his party will not form an alliance with the BJP for the 2026 Assembly elections.

Speaking to the media in Coimbatore, EPS, who is also the Leader of the Opposition in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly said that it was made clear during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and reiterated in several press conferences.

“Our aim is to dethrone the DMK. There will be no alliance with the BJP,” Palaniswami asserted, emphasising that no further clarification was needed on the matter.

EPS also referred to an interaction with a journalist in Tiruchi on Sunday during which he was asked whether the AIADMK would ally with the BJP.

He responded that AIADMK would consider alliances with “like-minded parties” to unseat the DMK, a statement he felt was misinterpreted by some media outlets as a potential coalition with the BJP.

Meanwhile, senior BJP leader and former Governor of Telangana, Tamilisai Soundararajan, has advocated for an alliance of “like-minded” parties to challenge the DMK in the upcoming elections.

Soundararajan had on Tuesday stressed that, despite ideological differences, parties with a shared objective should unite to defeat what she described as the “anti-people” DMK government led by Chief Minister M.K. Stalin.

Tamilisai Soundararajan on a potential AIADMK-BJP alliance, noted that the decision ultimately lies with the BJP’s national leadership, in consultation with the state unit.

However, she emphasised the importance of coalition-building to counter the DMK, stating, “It is not necessary that only parties with similar ideologies should form an alliance.”

Soundararajan argued that opposition parties in Tamil Nadu should focus on removing the DMK from power, even if their ideologies differ.

“Parties opposing the DMK should not be fragmented,” she said, urging them to “forge a strong alliance and prevent the ‘Udhayasooriyan’ [Rising Sun, DMK’s symbol] from “rising”.

“If we are firm and united, we can stop them,” she said.

Reportedly, several senior BJP leaders in Tamil Nadu are interested in reviving the alliance with the AIADMK, contrasting with the position of Tamil Nadu BJP President K. Annamalai, who is currently on study leave at Oxford University until November 28.