4 months ago
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With lone a fewer months to spell for the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, the Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK), led by T.T.V. Dhinakaran, connected Wednesday (January 21, 2026) rejoined the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), led successful the State by the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK).
Mr. Dhinakaran met BJP’s predetermination in-charge for Tamil Nadu and Union Minister for Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal, successful the beingness of Union Minister of State for Information Technology L. Murugan and BJP Tamil Nadu president Nainar Nagenthran, successful Chennai and formally announced his party’s revival of ties with the NDA.
Speaking to reporters, Mr. Goyal said helium was blessed Mr. Dhinakaran had decided to instrumentality to the NDA. He recollected Mr. Dhinakaran’s relation with his precocious begetter and elder BJP person Ved Prakash Goyal, erstwhile they served arsenic Rajya Sabha members.
He said NDA leaders were committed to removing the “corrupt and incompetent DMK government, which is attacking the radical of Tamil Nadu, Tamil culture, and Tamil pride.“
Mr. Goyal said: “We are each hurt. We volition enactment unneurotic arsenic 1 household and decision the anti-Bharat, anti-India DMK alliance. We volition marque definite to exposure earlier the people, the corruption of Mr. Stalin, Mr. Udhayanidhi [Deputy Chief Minister], his brother-in-law Sabareesan, and the DMK.”
The NDA, helium said, “will supply bully leadership, governance, and societal payment for the sisters and daughters of Tamil Nadu, bully opportunities and a agleam aboriginal for the younker of the State, and volition instrumentality Tamil language, pride, and civilization to the world.”
“Mr. Dhinakaran’s comeback to the NDA strengthens our resoluteness and committedness to bring to the radical of Tamil Nadu, a agleam aboriginal and glorious pride. Jayalalithaa ji made Tamil Nadu the fig 1 State successful India. We are committed to upholding her precocious ideals and bully governance that Jayalalithaa ji gave to the State of Tamil Nadu,” Mr. Goyal said.
‘Happy to return’
Mr. Dhinakaran said helium was blessed to instrumentality to the NDA, and that his enactment would fortify the efforts of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah to physique a beardown confederation for the 2026 elections.
“Setting speech our past differences and keeping the payment of the radical of Tamil Nadu successful mind, we person wholeheartedly joined the NDA to unseat the DMK from power. In this election, AMMK functionaries and cadres volition enactment tirelessly for the triumph of the NDA. We volition enactment unneurotic to reconstruct Amma’s [Jayalalithaa’s] rule, which mislaid powerfulness successful 2021,” helium said.
The AMMK, which contested the 2024 Lok Sabha elections arsenic portion of the BJP-led NDA, exited the confederation connected September 3 past year, citing persistent neglect aft the BJP revived ties with the AIADMK successful April 2025.
The AMMK’s instrumentality to the NDA fold assumes value against the backdrop of Mr. Modi’s predetermination run gathering scheduled adjacent Maduranthagam successful Chengalpattu territory connected January 23. The Pattali Makkal Katchi, led by Anbumani Ramadoss, also precocious joined the NDA.
All NDA leaders, including the combine’s elder state and AIADMK wide caput Edappadi K. Palaniswami, are expected to enactment successful the event. If Mr. Palaniswami and Mr. Dhinakaran stock the signifier with Mr. Modi astatine the rally, it volition people their archetypal nationalist gathering unneurotic since Mr. Dhinakaran’s expulsion from the AIADMK successful August 2017.
