Tamil Nadu won't see coalition govt, says AIADMK leader

Chennai: There was no place for a coalition government in Tamil Nadu, and AIADMK chief Edappadi K. Palaniswami will form a government "alone" in the state after the 2026 Assembly polls should the NDA win, senior party leader M. Thambidurai said on Thursday.

Thambidurai clarified this stance while addressing reporters' questions about the possibility of a coalition government under the opposition bloc.

He pointed to Palaniswami ruling out the possibility of a coalition government in the state if the alliance led by his party, in which the BJP is the key constituent, wins the 2026 Assembly election.

Thambidruai said the state has never witnessed a coalition government, whether it was under Congress veterans late C Rajagopalachari and K Kamaraj or Dravidian stalwarts M G Ramachandran and M Karunanidhi.

"In 2026 as well, Edappadiyar (Palaniswami) will form the government alone, and there is no place for a coalition government. Tamil Nadu has never had a coalition govt; it would never happen," he said.

Palaniswami had said on Wednesday that Union Minister Amit Shah had never said that there would be an AIADMK-BJP coalition government in Tamil Nadu.

"He did not say that (a coalition government)," Palaniswami had said. The relevant issue had been misunderstood by the media, which makes "tricks", Palaniswami alleged, and requested the media to drop its "tricks". What was declared on April 11 by Shah was that the AIADMK-BJP alliance will win the polls and a government shall be formed, Palaniswami said, adding it does not denote a coalition government.

In Tamil Nadu, though the DMK and AIADMK had always formed electoral alliances, they had never shared power with their allies.

(inputs from PTI)