Chennai: With breakaway AIADMK leader O. Panneerselvam and AMMK leader T.T.V. Dhinakaran quitting the NDA alliance and senior AIADMK leader and former minister K.A. Sengottaiyan publicly voicing discomfort, the NDA in Tamil Nadu finds itself in a precarious position, signalling another round of alliance realignment ahead of the 2026 assembly elections.
Although O. Panneerselvam and Dhinakaran have not openly announced their plan of action, both have hinted at joining a third front led by actor-turned-politician Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kalagam.
While O. Panneerselvam left the NDA alliance in June, T.T.V. Dhinakaran officially declared on 3 September that he was leaving the NDA.
Speaking to reporters in Kattumannarkoil, he said, he gave unconditional support to the NDA alliance to make Narendra Modi Prime Minister of the country, but the 2026 state elections are a different matter.
“It is all about choosing an appropriate chief minister for the state. Hence, we are leaving the NDA alliance and will announce our alliance by December,” he declared.
He also hinted at joining Vijay’s TVK, stating that Vijay has the potential to make an impact in the upcoming 2026 assembly election.
Comparing the arrival of Vijay into politics with that of Vijayakanth, Dhinakaran said, “When an actor with a mass base enters politics, he can certainly dampen the vote share of all the political parties and it was evident during Vijayakanth’s entry into politics. But, Vijay would make more impact than Vijayakanth did.”
Political analysts in the state pointed out Vjay’s TVK would be a more viable option for O. Panneerselvam and Dhinakaran than aligning with their arch rival DMK or the Seeman-led Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK).
“There is no future for Dhinakaran and OPS in the NDA. Aligning with actor Vijay’s party is possible, but the compatibility between the leaders and acceptance of the new leaders in the alliance looks uncertain for now,” political analyst Tharasu Shyam told ThePrint.
Vijay’s TVK has been repeatedly inviting political parties and leaders to join their alliance, saying he would share power with alliance partners if elected in the 2026 assembly elections.
Speaking to ThePrint, TVK spokesperson Raj Mohan said their party is in talks with several leaders, including former AIADMK leaders.
“We are not against AIADMK. We are only against DMK and BJP. We are in talks with many political parties and leaders, including former AIADMK leaders. We will accept anybody who accepts our ideology and our Thalapathy (Vijay) as the leader. The decision and the formal announcement will be made by the party leadership,” Raj Mohan told ThePrint.
The AIADMK-led NDA in Tamil Nadu is at the crossroads, as former AIADMK leaders are leaving the alliance one after the other. While OPS formally left the NDA alliance in June, TTV Dhinakaran left on 3 September.
Political analyst N. Sathiyamoorthy said former AIADMK leaders might help Vijay’s TVK in consolidating the Mukkulathor vote share in the southern parts of the state.
“Both T.T.V. Dhinakaran and O. Panneerselvam are seen as representatives of the Mukkulathor community. None of the leaders in the mainstream political party have that identity and so Dhinakaran and Panneerselvam might be assets for TVK. But, it remains to be seen if the former AIADMK leaders will accept Vijay’s leadership and if Vijay will be able to accommodate such senior leaders in his alliance,” Sathiyamoorthy said.
Meanwhile, senior AIADMK leader and former minister K.A. Sengottaiyan, who had skipped AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami’s recent public events, told reporters on 2 September that he has differences of opinion with the party leadership.
“I will speak my mind on 5 September at the party office in Gopichettipalayam (in Erode district). I did not invite anybody to meet me and I also don’t know who else will join me while addressing reporters on 5 September,” Sengottaiyan told reporters on 2 September.
This is not the first time K.A. Sengottaiyan has expressed his discomfort inside the party. It was in February, the he first expressed displeasure over the functioning of the party. He said he was unhappy that former chief minister M.G. Ramachandran and J. Jayalalithaa’s images were not on the invitation and at the venue of an event to felicitate AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami at Annur in Coimbatore.
Analysts believe he might push for the reunification of former AIADMK leaders, including V.K. Sasikala, T.T.V. Dhinakaran and O. Panneerselvam, apart from expressing his displeasure over the party’s functioning.
Political activist Raveendran Duraisamy said that the silent protest of Sengottaiyan is a loud statement of growing dissatisfaction over sidelining AIADMK icons and former CM MGR and Jayalalithaa.
“What he says on 5 September will be a potential turning point for AIADMK as well as the NDA alliance in the state. It might once again lead to factionalism inside AIADMK or even a new splinter group like OPS and T.T.V. Dhinakaran,” Raveendran Duraisamy told ThePrint.
Meanwhile, V.K. Sasikala, the expelled AIADMK leader and close confidante of former CM J. Jayalalithaa, has released a statement on 30 August, calling for a unification of all AIADMK supporters and cadres under one umbrella.
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What led the leaders to leave NDA?
Although T.T.V. Dhinakaran and O. Panneerselvam did not explicitly blame AIADMK or BJP for leaving the NDA alliance ahead of the 2026 assembly polls, they have hinted at the mistreatment meted out to them.
While O. Panneerselvam’s supporters say he was not given time to meet any of the BJP national leaders during their visit to Tamil Nadu before June 2025, T.T.V. Dhinakaran’s supporters say they were not contacted for any political meetings in the recent past, despite being firmly with the alliance until 31 August.
“In August alone, there were two events, one led by Tamizhaga Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam, an ally of NDA, and another event of the Tamil Maanila Congress. Both events were attended by senior BJP leaders, but we were not even informed about the events. We also realised that while we were firmly with the NDA alliance, BJP or other parties had not confirmed that AMMK was part of the NDA alliance,” V. Karthikeyan, secretary of AMMK’s advocate wing told ThePrint.
Soon after exiting the NDA alliance, O. Panneerselvam’s supporters also said they were not treated well within the NDA alliance, especially by BJP leaders.
In June, in one instance, O. Panneerselvam himself had shown a series of messages sent to BJP president Nainar Nagendran, without any response.
“This treatment began after AIADMK and BJP formally reunited in April this year for the 2026 assembly elections. If (we knew) this is how BJP will treat us, we would not have joined in the first place,” said Panruti Ramachandran, expelled AIADMK senior leader and OPS supporter, told ThePrint.
BJP leaders refused to comment on the alleged mistreatment by the alliance leaders. One BJP leader who did not want to be named said, “Everything will fall in line before the 2026 elections and we have enough time for elections and to decide on the alliance.”
(Edited by Viny Mishra)
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