The political corridors of Tamil Nadu and Delhi are abuzz after AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami (EPS) met Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday evening, fueling speculation of a potential reunion between the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead of the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections. EPS, arriving in the capital with senior leaders like S.P. Velumani, C.V.Shanmugam and others, landed amid whispers of weeks-long backchannel talks, hinting at a thaw in a once-fractured alliance.

The meeting, lasting over two hours at Shah’s residence, saw EPS reportedly submit a memorandum on Tamil Nadu’s delimitation and law-and-order concerns, per party sources. Yet, the timing—between Assembly sessions—and the presence of heavyweights like KP Munusamy and M. Thambidurai suggest deeper stakes.

The AIADMK-BJP partnership, forged post-Jayalalithaa’s 2016 demise, crumbled in September 2023 over Tamil Nadu BJP chief K. Annamalai’s barbs at AIADMK icons C.N. Annadurai and Jayalalithaa. The split saw both parties flounder in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, with AIADMK’s vote share dipping to 20.46% and BJP’s at 11.24%, per Election Commission data, while the DMK-led bloc dominated.

Now, political survival seems to be nudging EPS toward reconciliation. Posts on X and reports from The Indian Express point to AIADMK’s conditions: a high-power steering committee to outrank Annamalai and no overtures to rebels T.T.V. Dhinakaran and O. Panneerselvam.

The BJP, eyeing a southern foothold after a dismal 2024, appears amenable, with Shah reportedly signaling a “win-win” deal. Tamil Nadu CM M.K. Stalin’s cryptic Assembly jab—“EPS went to meet someone in Delhi”—only stoked the fire.

Though EPS has publicly ruled out a BJP tie-up since November 2024, his softened tone—“wait six months”—and the BJP’s 10% vote share in 2024 suggest pragmatism may prevail.