TTV Dhinakaran Exits NDA Ahead Of Tamil Nadu Polls, Drops A Vijay Hint

In a dramatic political twist, Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK) chief TTV Dhinakaran on Tuesday announced his party's exit from the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), two years after aligning with the BJP ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

Dhinakaran, who had been conspicuously sidelined after the BJP revived ties with the AIADMK, said his party had "waited with patience" for a possible unification of former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa's followers, but has now decided to chart its own course.

"We are walking out of NDA. In December, we will announce our next step. We remained patient for some time, hoping Amma's followers would unite. Once we knew there was no chance, we wanted to go our way for 2026," Mr Dhinakaran told reporters in Tamil.

Dhinakaran's exit comes after months of speculation. The BJP had avoided inviting him to key NDA events, including a recent Chennai meeting celebrating the legacy of late Congress leader Moopanar. The event was attended by senior BJP leader and Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman alongside AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS).

Earlier, former Chief Minister O Panneerselvam walked out of the NDA.

Party insiders say EPS had reportedly wanted both O Panneerselvam (OPS) and TTV Dhinakaran out of NDA, a precondition for the revival of the AIADMK-BJP alliance. Both OPS and Dhinakaran - powerful leaders from the Thevar community - have now walked out of the NDA fold, a move seen as potentially unsettling AIADMK's influence in southern Tamil Nadu.

Adding to the churn, AIADMK veteran KA Sengottaiyan, known for his uneasy ties with EPS, has announced he would "speak candidly" on September 5, reflecting growing cadre-level resentment within the party.

While Dhinakaran remained non-committal about new alliances, he dropped a significant hint by praising actor Vijay's political debut under the banner of Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK). "Just like Vijayakanth once shook the political stage, Vijay will dent all parties," he said - a remark seen as an opening for a possible future tie-up. Vijay has already promised a share in power to allies, adding fuel to speculation.

Dhinakaran's exit, along with OPS' earlier departure, raises questions over BJP's strategy in Tamil Nadu ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections. Incidentally, this development comes on a day the BJP core committee from the state met in Delhi. 

For the AIADMK, this would make its struggle to revive political fortunes after three consecutive poll defeats since Jayalalithaa's death a major challenge.