Edappadi K Palaniswami; TTV Dhinakaran
NEW DELHI: Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK) general secretary TTV Dhinakaran has ruled out returning to the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in Tamil Nadu as long as AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami remains the chief ministerial candidate.”That is the only issue for us. Not Amma’s (J Jayalalithaa) party heading the alliance. Only the CM candidate,” he told ANI. Dhinakaran, nephew of expelled AIADMK leader VK Sasikala, a close aide of Jayalalithaa, reiterated that the AIADMK has now turned into what he called “Edappadi DMK.” He predicted that Palaniswami would lead the party to defeat in the 2026 assembly polls.”After the defeat which he (Palaniswami) will face, all the cadres and office-bearers will surely realise that he is the only reason for the party’s defeat. They will cooperate with us to form the real AIADMK,” he said. The AMMK chief also confirmed a recent meeting with former BJP state president K Annamalai, but described it as a “simple courtesy call.””Yes, Annamalai met me. It was just a courtesy visit. It was Annamalai who brought our AMMK into the NDA before, and he called me when we decided to come out of it. The decision to announce Palaniswami as the CM candidate by the NDA cannot be reversed. As long as he remains the deciding authority of the AIADMK, there is no chance of an alliance. I want to tell those well-meaning and experienced individuals that there is no possibility of an alliance as long as Edappadi is the CM candidate,” he stated.Dhinakaran said he rejected Annamalai’s appeal to reconsider quitting the NDA, arguing that EPS’s “betrayal” had permanently damaged trust. “Annamalai came and asked me to reconsider our decision to leave the NDA alliance. Palaniswami will hesitate to meet me or form an alliance with us (AMMK). There were attempts to take me to Delhi and compromise, and sensing this, I announced beforehand that AMMK is coming out. There is no permanent enemy in politics, but betrayal is different. Those who came to power and became CM (Palaniswami) betrayed us and pushed us out, and that cannot be forgiven.” The Tamil Nadu Assembly elections are due in April 2026.
