Overview

• Tamil Nadu BJP president Nainar Nagenthran met AIADMK chief E. Palaniswami in Salem with senior party functionaries and described it as a courtesy call with no political discussions.
• Nagenthran said the BJP never interferes in other parties’ internal matters and announced he will launch a state-wide campaign from Madurai on October 11.
• Party insiders say the BJP is in mission mode to bring smaller regional outfits into the NDA to prevent a split in anti-DMK votes ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections.
• Earlier in the week, EPS met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi to discuss strategy, and sources say the BJP and AIADMK plan to begin joint campaigning next month.
• Key differences persist over inducting expelled AIADMK leaders and potential partners, with reports indicating BJP interest in O. Panneerselvam possibly joining by December or January and ongoing debates over TVK, T.T.V. Dhinakaran and the PMK.