Chennai: In a significant political development ahead of the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, Amma Makkal Munnetradhinakaran Kazhagam (AMMK) General Secretary T.T.V. Dhinakaran on Wednesday announced that his party has quit the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

According to news agency IANS, Dhinakaran said the AMMK would decide on fresh alliances only in December after extensive consultations with cadres and functionaries.

“Our support for the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls was unconditional and in the national interest. We believed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s third term would benefit the country. But the 2026 Assembly elections are different from parliamentary polls. We will announce our stand only in December,” he stated.

The AMMK chief also dismissed suggestions that Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s efforts to reunite the AIADMK factions had succeeded. “The attempt to unify the AIADMK has failed,” he remarked, while not ruling out future collaborations with other parties, including actor Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK).

Meanwhile, former Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam (OPS) has also walked out of the NDA. At a meeting with supporters in Alwarpet, Chennai, his camp passed three resolutions, including one confirming his exit from the alliance. Senior leader Panruti Ramachandran announced that OPS would soon embark on a state-wide tour to mobilise support. OPS has urged all AIADMK factions to come together to revive the party’s fortunes.

With both Dhinakaran and OPS distancing themselves, sources said Amit Shah has asked Tamil Nadu BJP leaders to exercise restraint and avoid making statements that could antagonise potential allies.

With the Assembly polls due in April–May 2026, Tamil Nadu’s political scene is undergoing rapid shifts. The DMK-led bloc, the AIADMK, and the BJP alliance remain major players, while Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK) and TVK have declared they will contest independently. Against this backdrop, Dhinakaran’s exit from the NDA and his decision to keep alliance options open adds a fresh layer of uncertainty to the state’s political equations.