AIADMK gears up to take on DMK in 2026 TN Assembly polls
Chennai: The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), Tamil Nadu’s principal Opposition party, is preparing hard to win the 2026 Legislative Assembly elections by defeating its “primary adversary” the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK).
This comes after the party faced a severe setback in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
In the 2024 General Elections, the AIADMK-led alliance failed to secure any of Tamil Nadu’s 39 parliamentary seats.
At a public event in his home district of Salem, AIADMK General Secretary and Leader of Opposition Edappadi K. Palaniswami (EPS) stated that the party’s primary adversary is the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK).
He emphasised that vote-splitting should not happen in the 2026 Assembly elections, signaling a possible shift in his stance towards a poll alliance with the BJP.
Palaniswami, a former chief minister of Tamil Nadu, reiterated that the AIADMK’s primary goal is to defeat the “anti-people” DMK government.
In the 2021 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, the AIADMK secured only 66 out of 234 seats, despite having been in power for a decade.
The DMK, led by M.K. Stalin, clinched 133 seats, securing 37.7 per cent of the vote share, while the AIADMK garnered 33.29 per cent, despite facing anti-incumbency.
However, in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the AIADMK’s vote share plummeted to 22.6 per cent, while the DMK surged to 47.2 per cent.
This decline, coupled with internal party dynamics, is reportedly forcing the AIADMK leadership to reconsider its stance on an alliance other parties.
Meanwhile, the ruling DMK has already set an ambitious target of winning 200 out of 234 seats in the upcoming Assembly elections.
The party has appointed full-time coordinators for each constituency to bolster its election strategy.
With political equations shifting in Tamil Nadu, AIADMK’s potential re-alliance with other like-minded parties could significantly impact the 2026 Assembly elections.