The highly anticipated two-day visit of Union Home Minister Amit Shah to Tamil Nadu concluded on Monday without delivering the expected breakthrough for the Bharatiya Janata Party's efforts to fortify the National Democratic Alliance in the state. The trip, centered in Trichy, was closely watched for potential political realignments but ended on an inconclusive note.
Key Meetings That Didn't Happen
There was significant speculation that Shah would use this visit to initiate formal alliance talks with potential regional partners like the PMK and the DMDK. Furthermore, political circles were abuzz with the possibility of him mediating a resolution to the internal impasse within the AIADMK involving T T V Dhinakaran and O Panneerselvam.
A much-anticipated meeting with AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS) also failed to materialize. Although EPS had a public meeting in Salem on Sunday, it was widely expected he would travel to Trichy to meet Shah on Monday. However, a BJP leader clarified that "such a meeting between Shah and EPS was not scheduled." The leader also emphasized that the public event Shah attended in Pudukottai was a BJP-only affair, not an NDA event, which is why leaders from other alliance parties were not invited.
Behind-the-Scenes Interactions
Instead of a direct meeting with EPS, former AIADMK minister S P Velumani acted as the intermediary, meeting Amit Shah twice—once on Sunday night and again on Monday. The Sunday meeting was also attended by Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal, who doubles as the BJP's election in-charge for Tamil Nadu. The Monday interaction between Shah and Velumani lasted nearly an hour.
Both AIADMK and BJP leaders maintained strict secrecy about the discussions. An AIADMK leader from Trichy stated, "All we know is that our general secretary sent Velumani as his emissary." Echoing the non-committal stance, former BJP state president Tamilisai Soundararajan told reporters, "Leaders in our alliance can meet any number of times."
BJP sources indicated that Amit Shah may visit Chennai later this month, where a meeting with EPS could potentially take place.
BJP Strategy and Public Events
During his visit, Shah chaired a BJP core committee meeting on Sunday night. The gathering included senior state leaders such as L Murugan, Nainar Nagenthran, K Annamalai, Vanathi Srinivasan, H Raja, and Kesava Vinayagan, with Piyush Goyal also in attendance.
On Monday, Shah engaged in religious outreach, visiting the Jambukeswarar temple in Thiruvanaikoil and the Ranganathaswamy temple in Srirangam, where he received special honours from the temple priests. His final public appearance was at the 'Namma Ooru Modi Pongal Vizha' at Mannarpuram defence ground on the Trichy–Madurai highway, a traditional celebration featuring 1,008 Pongal pots.
However, in a move that left many party cadres disappointed, Shah spent less than 30 minutes at the festive venue and departed for his hotel without addressing the gathered crowd, contrary to expectations.
The visit, while rich in symbolism and behind-the-scenes politics, ultimately underscored the ongoing challenges the BJP faces in stitching together a formidable coalition in Tamil Nadu, setting the stage for more negotiations in the weeks to come.
