Overview
- Veteran AIADMK leader K.A. Sengottaiyan, recently stripped of party posts after a 10‑day unity ultimatum, confirmed meetings with Amit Shah and Nirmala Sitharaman to press for readmitting expelled leaders.
- K. Annamalai said the BJP’s tie‑up with AIADMK is a pragmatic move for 2026 and reiterated that Amit Shah has named Edappadi K. Palaniswami as the NDA’s chief ministerial face.
- AIADMK insiders told The Indian Express that Delhi is meddling in party affairs and some are urging EPS to consider sacking Sengottaiyan and even weigh exiting the NDA, while BJP figures publicly deny interference.
- T.T.V. Dhinakaran signalled openness to alignments that exclude Palaniswami as CM candidate, and O. Panneerselvam welcomed unity efforts without setting conditions for his own return.
- Campaign rhetoric escalated as Udhayanidhi Stalin said AIADMK would be in the ICU and Palaniswami replied that voters would send the DMK in an ambulance, with Vijay’s TVK seen as a fresh electoral variable.