NEW DELHI: The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) failed in its bid to reclaim power in Tamil Nadu, slipping to third place behind the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) led by MK Stalin and actor-politician Vijay's newly formed Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), as votes for the April 9 assembly elections were counted on Monday.
TVK Emerges as a Formidable Force
TVK, formed only in February 2024, defied expectations in its debut election and is on course to become the single-largest party, though it is likely to fall short of a majority by a few seats. The party has pushed both DMK and AIADMK to the margins, reshaping the state's political landscape.
AIADMK's Poor Performance
The AIADMK, which led the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the state, managed to win just three constituencies and was leading in three others. This outcome means the party led by former chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami is set to slip to third place in a state long dominated by the two Dravidian majors since the late 1960s.
Contesting from his stronghold of Edappadi in Salem district, Palaniswami is set to win by a huge margin. After all 18 rounds of counting, the AIADMK general secretary secured 1,48,933 votes, leading his nearest challenger, independent K Premkumar, by 98,110 votes, according to the Election Commission's website. This will be his fourth successive term from a constituency he first won in the 2011 assembly polls.
NDA Allies Fail to Deliver
Along with the AIADMK, its NDA allies—including the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)—failed to make an impact. The BJP, which contested 26 seats, managed to win only one and was not leading in any others. Similarly, the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) also failed to open its account. This leaves the alliance's future uncertain. After exiting the NDA ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the AIADMK returned to it in April 2025 after both it and the BJP failed to win a single seat in the state in the general elections, where all 39 seats were swept by the DMK and its allies.
Factionalism and Internal Struggles
The AIADMK has struggled with factionalism following the demise of J Jayalalithaa in December 2016, months after she led the party to re-election in the state. Senior leader and former chief minister O. Panneerselvam, a long-time Jayalalithaa loyalist, joined the DMK ahead of the recent assembly polls.
Overall, the results leave the AIADMK facing a tough road ahead, with the party needing to rebuild and regain its footing amid the rise of TVK as a new dominant force in the state. The Congress is expected to extend support to Vijay, further consolidating the new political alignment.
