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Alliance with AIADMK for 2026 polls restricted to only Tamil Nadu for now: Puducherry BJP in-charge

Alliance with AIADMK for 2026 polls restricted to only Tamil Nadu for now: Puducherry BJP in-charge

The Hindu2 days ago
The BJP's alliance with All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) is, as of now, restricted to Tamil Nadu, Nirmal Kumar Surana, Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) Puducherry in-charge, told The Hindu.
AIADMK Puducherry unit secretary A. Anbalagan had recently expressed displeasure over the BJP's decision to independently distribute welfare assistance in constituencies across the Union Territory.
Asked about this, Mr. Surana said: 'As of now, our alliance for the 2026 Assembly polls with AIADMK pertains to only Tamil Nadu. So far, we have not held talks with AIADMK for coming Assembly polls in Puducherry. It is only an emerging political situation. Hence, we are working in all 30 constituencies to shore up our support base and strengthen our both level activities.'
Mr. Surana was in Puducherry on Monday (August 18, 2025) for the party's election strategy meeting.
On the accusation that BJP was working in constituencies even currently held by AINRC, he said 'our alliance partner too is active in all the 30 constituencies. Both the parties will try to strengthen their base in all constituencies There is nothing wrong in political parties trying to galvanise their workforce before the Assembly election. It will help the alliance only.'
Asked if he was ruling out any electoral pact with the AIADMK in Puducherry, Mr. Surana said 'AIADMK is our valued partner and future decisions, electoral strategies are decided by our national leadership in consultation with partners.'
In the last Assembly polls, the AINRC contested 16 seats and allotted 14 seats to BJP. The BJP had parted with 5 seats from its kitty to the AIADMK. The AINRC had won 10 and BJP 6. The Dravidian party had failed to win any of the seats it contested. The BJP leaders in recent meetings had expressed desire to contest more seats considering the strike rate the party achieved in the last polls.
The AIADMK Puducherry leadership has requested Chief Minister N. Rangasamy to convene a meeting of National Democratic Alliance to sort out issues.
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About the Author Rohini Swamy Rohini Swamy, Associate Editor at News18, has been a journalist for nearly two decades in the television and digital space. She covers south India for News18's digital platform. She has previously worked with More Click here to add News18 as your preferred news source on Google. Get Latest Updates on Movies, Breaking News On India, World, Live Cricket Scores, And Stock Market Updates. Also Download the News18 App to stay updated! tags : BJP congress crowd karnataka stampede view comments Location : Bengaluru, India, India First Published: August 21, 2025, 22:13 IST News politics Mobbed By Oppn, Karnataka Govt Sends Crowd Control Bill To House Panel: What Are The Objections? Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. 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