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Journalism of Courage
At a time when the AIADMK and the BJP are looking to settle back into their alliance once again, figuring out the dynamics, they face a fresh hurdle over Tamil Nadu Governor R N Ravi’s plans to convene a three-day conference of Vice-Chancellors in Ooty later this week.
With the Supreme Court recently ruling that Governors cannot indefinitely sit on Bills, the NDA parties are concerned that this April 25-27 conference in the hill station will appear to be defiance on the part of the Governor, thus feeding the DMK’s federalist campaign and putting them in a tight spot. Among the 10 Bills over which the court pulled up the Governor are significant amendments to how vice-chancellors are appointed to state universities.
The Governor’s proposed conference comes days after Chief Minister M K Stalin chaired a meeting of state university Vice-Chancellors and registrars on April 16. This has sparked criticism not only from the DMK-led ruling coalition and the Left, but has also caused concern in the RSS-BJP and among the BJP’s allies, including the AIADMK and the PMK of S Ramadoss.
“Even after the Supreme Court verdict favoured the Tamil Nadu government in matters of state autonomy, he (Ravi) went to meet Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar in Delhi. He invited V-P Dhankhar to attend the conference he is separately organising for Vice-Chancellors in the state. How could he make such plans after the SC upheld the Tamil Nadu Assembly’s authority over university legislation? His attempt to stage a counter-conference, as if to undermine the one hosted by the state government last week, is a shadow play that essentially helps the DMK and hurts us. Every move that smells of Delhi overruling Tamil Nadu will erode the NDA’s credibility here,” said an RSS functionary coordinating functions in Tamil Nadu.
“This is not only contempt of the Supreme Court verdict but also a gross violation of constitutional norms,” said CPI(M) state secretary P Shanmugam. The CPI’s R Mutharasan said Dhankhar’s participation in the meeting will amount to a “coordinated political effort to undermine constitutional authority in the state”.
State autonomy, fiscal and administrative independence, and opposition to perceived Central overreach are among the issues on which the AIADMK and the DMK have earlier shared a common position. With the AIADMK now in the BJP camp, the DMK believes it will be difficult for the principal Opposition party in the state to take clear positions on such matters, thus putting it in a bind.
Why it is a different NDA
A senior AIADMK leader said the Governor’s actions are a test for the NDA that is still trying to work out the nitty-gritty of coalition functioning following his party’s return. The party official said the battle for Tamil Nadu next year would be less about ideological affinity and more about electoral expediency amid a tug-of-war over the narrative on autonomy and governance.
“This is not exactly the NDA. It is an anti-DMK alliance. In 2021, EPS (AIADMK leader Edappadi Palaniswami) was part of the NDA and TTV (former AIADMK leader T T V Dhinakaran) was out. In 2024, TTV was in and EPS was out. Now, both are in. The BJP has even invited Seeman of Naam Tamilar Katchi, known for the most scathing criticism of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. That says something. Uniting all against the DMK is the key strategy. But R N Ravi tests the entire plot,” said the leader.
According to senior AIADMK leaders, their party will once again serve as the “undisputed anchor” of the NDA in the state, looking to contest 150–160 of the 234 Assembly seats, while the remaining constituencies will be distributed among allies.
The BJP that secured 20 Assembly seats in the 2021 Assembly polls as part of the NDA framework will now have to contend with sharing space with others. A senior BJP leader said the hope was that at least 40 seats would be collectively earmarked for NDA allies, likely divided among the BJP, the Puthiya Needhi Katchi led by A C Shanmugam, Dhinakaran’s Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam, O Panneerselvam’s faction, and T R Paarivendhar’s Indhiya Jananayaka Katchi.
“The party (BJP) may contest the same 20 seats in 2026, but the remaining seats will be shared across allies who join the NDA on our behalf,” the BJP leader said. Asked if the BJP could secure more than 20 constituencies, he said Palaniswami would not part with more. “If not 20, he will give a maximum of 21 seats,” he said, laughing.
The PMK, a key ally, is expected to receive a separate block of 20 seats, and the DMDK, established by the late Captain Vijaykanth and now negotiating its return to the NDA, may be allotted 10-12 seats.
“We will hold our base, and everyone else has no option but to fall in line if they want to stop DMK,” said a former AIADMK minister, adding that the alliance’s chemistry remains far from smooth. “Our leaders remain wary of Annamalai’s loyalist base within the BJP, which we fear may not cooperate fully with EPS’s campaign. Anyway, we believe that the NDA alliance is intact.”
