The opposition AIADMK on Wednesday projected itself as the principal alternative to the ruling DMK in Tamil Nadu, with party general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami asserting that the party would return to power in the next Assembly elections and initiate legal action against all those accused of corruption.
Speaking at the AIADMK’s general council and executive committee meetings in Chennai, Palaniswami said the ruling DMK had “lost the support of the people” and would face a decisive rejection in the 2026 Assembly polls.
Addressing party delegates, Palaniswami invoked the legacy of MGR and J Jayalalithaa, saying both leaders built the party to fight the DMK and worked for the welfare of every section of society. “MGR started the AIADMK to defeat the DMK. After his demise, Jayalalithaa protected the party and carried forward his ideals. The party has faced many obstacles, but we will again form the government,” he said.
Palaniswami underlined that the AIADMK was “not a slave to anyone,” noting that alliances in Tamil Nadu have always been driven by political circumstances. He also reminded members that even the BJP had once been part of the DMK alliance and its cabinet.
EPS told party workers that voter behaviour differs between parliamentary and Assembly elections. “In Parliament elections, people vote in a different way. In Assembly elections, they vote differently. This is the situation in Tamil Nadu,” he said, suggesting that the AIADMK’s electoral prospects were strong despite the DMK-led alliance’s Lok Sabha victory earlier this year.
He accused the DMK of being synonymous with corruption. “Once the AIADMK forms government, legal action will be initiated against all who are accused of corruption,” he said.
The party’s general council and executive committee meetings began this morning at a marriage hall in Vanagaram, where Palaniswami received a grand welcome from party functionaries. The meetings, the AIADMK’s highest decision-making platforms, are expected to finalise the broad contours of the party’s strategy for the upcoming Assembly polls.
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