Following a late-night meeting on Tuesday, September 16, 2025, AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami and his delegation left New Delhi expressing contentment with their discussions with Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
Sources within the AIADMK delegation stated that the meeting resolved any potential ‘confusion’ between the two parties. They confirmed a clear understanding on two critical points: Edappadi K. Palaniswami’s projection as the Chief Ministerial candidate and the AIADMK’s dominant position in future seat-sharing agreements. These functionaries indicated that the Union Minister acknowledged Palaniswami as the undisputed Chief Minister nominee.
Furthermore, regarding internal matters of the AIADMK, the BJP has adopted a ‘hands-off’ approach. Party functionaries downplayed last week’s meeting between Union Home Minister Shah and MLA K. Sengottaiyan, describing it as a ‘brief affair and a courtesy call’ with no significant implications. Reportedly, Mr. Shah conveyed a clear message: the primary objective is to unseat the DMK government in the 2026 Assembly elections, and the AIADMK should actively work towards this goal.
AIADMK leaders expressed confidence in the upcoming seat distribution, anticipating that their party will secure a sufficient number of constituencies to achieve an outright majority. According to AIADMK office-bearers, the Union Minister’s position is for the BJP to field candidates in genuinely winnable seats, rather than prioritizing the sheer volume of contested constituencies.
On Wednesday, Mr. Palaniswami shared photographs of his meeting with Mr. Shah and other colleagues on social media. He also announced that a request was formally made to the Union Minister to posthumously award the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian honor, to former Member of Parliament and Forward Bloc leader, U. Muthuramalinga Thevar.
Just before his New Delhi visit, during a Chennai meeting on Monday, September 15, Mr. Palaniswami, without directly naming the central BJP government, affirmed that his party had not faced any ‘threats’ from the Union government. He publicly acknowledged their significant support, stating, “They had carried out beneficial deeds to us. When efforts were on to dislodge our government [during 2017-21], they had saved us. We should not forget what they did for us.”