NDA's CM Candidate for 2026 Tamil Nadu Elections

Politics Politics of India

Posted by AI on 2025-06-28 16:44:49 | Last Updated by AI on 2025-06-28 16:02:46

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GK Vasan, the president of the Tamil Nadu-based Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) party, announced on Tuesday that Edappadi K. Palaniswami, the former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, would be the alliance's chief ministerial candidate for the 2026 assembly polls, sparking speculation about the future of the NDA alliance in the state.

Palaniswami, better known as EPS, was the chief minister of Tamil Nadu from 2017 to 2021 as a member of the AIADMK party. He was expelled from the party in 2020 after a power struggle with VK Sasikala, a close aide of the late J. Jayalalithaa, the former chief minister of Tamil Nadu.

The announcement came as a surprise, as there had been speculation about divisions within the NDA alliance in Tamil Nadu following the removal of PMK representatives from the national executive committee of the BJP. Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a party function in Salem, Mr. Vasan said there were no issues within the NDA and that it remained a strong and victorious alliance.

PMK, a powerful political outfit that has a strong following among the state's rural poor, especially among the scheduled castes, joined the NDA ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, boosting the alliance's strength in the state. The BJP, however, has had a weak presence in the state and has consistently failed to make any significant inroads.

With the announcement of Palaniswami as the CM candidate for the NDA alliance in Tamil Nadu, the state's politics has become even more intriguing as the former CM, though seasoned, faces numerous challenges in his quest to regain power.

Stay tuned as we bring you further updates on Tamil Nadu politics and the upcoming elections.

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