Jayalalithaa presents flowers to Narendra Modi during the swearing in ceremony of Modi as the chief minister of Gujarat state in December 2012.
Old allies seem to be dialing the BJP with exit polls indicating that it is likely to form the government with partners.
This morning, a leader from
J Jayalalithaa's AIADMK made what sounded like an offer. "
Narendra Modi is great friend of Jayalalithaa, they may differ politically. If he becomes PM then Madam would like close ties," said K Malaisamy, an AIADMK leader. (
India Votes 2014: Full coverage)
Jayalalithaa did not contradict him. "All I can say at this juncture is let's wait for the result to come out. I will give you my comment then," she said today in Chennai.
Exit polls suggest the BJP and its partners in the National Democratic Alliance or NDA will land a majority with Narendra Modi taking over as prime minister. Jayalalithaa is expected to get most of the 30 parliamentary seats in Tamil Nadu, where she has been in power since 2011. A partner like her could lend more stability to a coalition government.
Mr Modi and Ms Jayalalithaa have in the past been warm about each other; they attended each other's oath-taking ceremonies as chief ministers of their states.
In the campaign for the national election, both leaders censured each other but their exchange was free of the sort of invective that
Mamata Banerjee, the chief minister of Bengal, unleashed for Mr Modi.
Both Ms Banerjee and Ms Jayalalithaa have been part of the NDA in the past, but the former has ruled out any association now with a government headed by Mr Modi. (
Will Never, Ever Have an Alliance with BJP: Mamata Banerjee)
Ms Jayalalithaa's criticism of Mr Modi in her campaign was seen as the result of key Muslim groups extending their support to her rival, the DMK.
Detractors of Mr Modi allege that the communal riots of 2002 prove that he is a divisive leader who chose not to act swiftly to check the violence, in which more than 1,000 people were killed, most of them Muslims. Mr Modi has denied any wrongdoing and a Supreme Court inquiry has said there is no case against him.