For the first time in its political history since 1967, Tamil Nadu will see the DMK fighting head on against a national party while the traditional challenger AIADMK is getting relegated to the status of “also rans”.

No major political parties find place as a constituent of the AIADMK except some fringe elements while the major players in the State have lined up under the DMK and the BJP led fronts.  The Congress, the Communists, the Islamic outfits, the Dalits and the regional party from South west Tamil Nadu are all lined up under the leadership of the DMK while the BJP has regional parties like Tamil Manila Congress (TMC) and the Vanniyar community’s Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) under its banner.

The surprise element in the formation of alliances was the decision of DMDK founded by late actor Vijayakanth crossing over to the AIADMK camp. The whole Tamil Nadu had stood in shocked silence when Premalatha, party founder’s main driving force, abused AIADMK supremo Jayalalithaa with the choicest abuses during the 2016 Assembly election.

The DMDK was the lead constituent of the People’s Welfare Front which had projected Vijayakanth as the chief ministerial candidate in that polls. The DMDK was wiped out in the poll and Vijayakanth lost his security deposit in the last election of his life. Since then Vijayakant was bed ridden till he breathed his last in 2023.

How can the AIADMK get along with Premalatha who had insulted and abused Jayalalithaa by calling her names is the question being asked all over Tamil Nadu.

“She is a robber, dacoit, and corrupt dictator rolled into one. Jayalalithaa is a curse on Tamil Nadu,” Premalatha had said in the election meetings she addressed.

The AIADMK has turned into a party of Gaunders (a powerful caste in Tamil Nadu) as the Thevars, the major followers of the party have left it for good.

Though TTV Dhinakaran had launched a party after the demise of Jayalalithaa and the conviction of his aunt V K Sasikala, the party reached nowhere.

Sasikala does not come out of the fortress-like bungalow at T Nagar, a shopping centre in Chennai. O Panneerselvam, three-time Chief Minister who had declared a Dharma Yudh against Edappadi Palaniswamy is yet to make up his mind about where to go and whom to align with.

“The AIADMK is almost finished and is on a ventilator support system. Chances are that by 2026 there would not be any AIADMK. The Lok Sabha election in Tamil Nadu is between the DMK-led front and the BJP-led NDA. This is the semifinal match before the grand finale of the 2026 election,” said KV Rajasekharan, author and political commentator. 

The names of the AIADMK candidates released by Edappadi Palaniswamy speak volumes about the state of affairs in that party.

“I will be surprised if ten of them get elected. Palaniswamy has proved that he does not possess the leadership qualities,” said Arjun Sampath, founder, Hindu Peoples Party.

Interestingly, the AIADMK tried to get in touch with the RSS leadership in the State but it has been proved futile.