EPS meets PM Modi in Tiruchi amid strain over coalition talks in TN

Chennai, July 26 (IANS) AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami (EPS) met Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Tiruchi Airport late Saturday night, in what was their first formal meeting since the AIADMK and BJP renewed their alliance ahead of the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections.

The meeting comes against the backdrop of visible tensions between the allies over the question of post-election power-sharing. Prime Minister Modi, returning from an official visit to the Maldives, landed in Tuticorin earlier in the evening. He inaugurated the newly developed terminal at Tuticorin Airport, built at a cost of Rs 350 crore, aimed at boosting air connectivity in southern Tamil Nadu.

The PM also dedicated and laid the foundation for multiple infrastructure projects in the region, collectively valued at over Rs 4,800 crore. After completing his engagements in Tuticorin, the Prime Minister travelled to Trichy, where EPS received him at the airport and held brief discussions. While the optics suggested a coordinated alliance, the reality behind the scenes tells a more complicated story.

The AIADMK and BJP have recently clashed over statements made by former Tamil Nadu BJP president K. Annamalai. He publicly asserted that the NDA would form a coalition government in Tamil Nadu after the 2026 polls and said that Union Home Minister Amit Shah had already confirmed this.

Annamalai even urged the AIADMK to directly consult Amit Shah if there were any doubts. EPS has strongly pushed back against this narrative. He has repeatedly said that the AIADMK will win a clear majority on its own and has no intention of sharing power. In public meetings and media interactions, including in Tiruthuraipoondi, EPS made it clear that the party would not entertain a coalition government, stressing, “We are not fools to share power.”

He maintained that if the BJP chooses to support the AIADMK, it must do so from outside the government, without demanding cabinet positions. Attempting to manage the growing rift, state BJP president Nainar Nagendran stated that he had spoken with EPS and emphasised that unity within the NDA would prevail.

He said both parties were committed to winning the elections together. However, the divergence in public messaging has not gone unnoticed and continues to raise concerns about the long-term cohesion of the alliance.

Saturday’s meeting between EPS and PM Modi, while intending to reinforce political ties, unfolded amid these underlying tensions. The alliance, though intact on paper, is being tested by questions of leadership and control in a potential future government. Whether the two parties can resolve their differences or continue to manage them under growing public scrutiny will likely shape the direction of their campaign in the months ahead.

--IANS

aal/uk