Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK) General Secretary TTV Dhinakaran on Wednesday announced that his party has rejoined the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), marking a fresh political realignment in Tamil
Nadu ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections.
The announcement comes a couple of days before Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to address the NDA’s campaign launch meeting near Chennai on January 23.
Addressing a press conference in Chennai, Dhinakaran framed the decision as a strategic move aimed at defeating the ruling DMK and ensuring stable governance in the state.
“We are going to help the formation that is going to defeat the DMK,” he said.
Stressing the need to move beyond past political differences, he added, “We should not think about the past and not let the people of Tamil Nadu suffer.”
Calling his return to the NDA “a new beginning,” the AMMK leader said compromise was an essential part of politics.
“There is nothing wrong with having a compromise. This is a new beginning, and we will strive to form a new governance in Tamil Nadu. We are starting towards that,” he said.
Invoking the legacy of former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, Dhinakaran told party cadres, “I would like to say just one thing, those who sacrifice have never gone down. As true followers of Amma, we will all unite together and form governance.”
Earlier in the day, Dhinakaran confirmed that he was scheduled to meet Union Minister Piyush Goyal at 11 am, further underlining the formal nature of his return to the BJP-led alliance.
He was later seen proceeding to meet Goyal.
A day before, reports had suggested that Dhinakaran was set to re-enter the NDA and was expected to participate in the January 23 rally to be addressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
According to that report, Dhinakaran’s return marks a significant political realignment ahead of the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections.
In the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the AMMK general secretary had been part of the NDA but later exited the alliance after it announced AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami as the chief ministerial candidate for the state.
At that time, Dhinakaran had taken a strong stand against any coalition led by Palaniswami and publicly stated that he would not be part of such an arrangement.
After exiting the NDA, Dhinakaran explored alternative political alignments and was reported to be in talks with actor Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK).
However, those efforts did not culminate in a formal alliance, leaving the AMMK outside any major coalition for a period. Later, a meeting between Dhinakaran and Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi paved the way for his return to the NDA, with Shah extending an invitation to rejoin the alliance.
