Tamil Nadu Allies, Karnataka Rivals: Cracks In BJP-AIADMK Alliance Show

The growing unease between Tamil Nadu allies, the AIADMK and the BJP, has spilled over into neighbouring Karnataka, which goes to Assembly polls next month.

The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), now led by former Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami, has fielded a candidate against ally BJP in Pulakeshinagar seat in Bengaluru.

The AIADMK has chosen D Anbarasan as its candidate. The BJP had earlier announced Murali as its pick for the reserved seat.

The AIADMK's move comes against the backdrop of its strained ties with the BJP that has led to heated exchanges between leaders from the two sides over the past few months.

During a recent interaction with the media, Mr Palaniswami, also known as EPS, refused to talk about Tamil Nadu BJP chief K Annamalai and followed it up with a swipe at the 38-year-old politician. "Don't ask me about him. I will only talk about mature leaders. Through his interviews, he is only projecting himself," the former Chief Minister said.

The remark came after Mr Annamalai hinted that he would release a list of assets owned by senior AIADMK leaders as he had already done for leaders of the ruling DMK. This drew a sharp response from the AIADMK, with party leader D Jayakumar warning that "touching AIADMK is like playing with fire".

On the party fielding a candidate in a Karnataka seat the BJP is contesting, AIADMK spokesperson Kovai Sathyan told NDTV, "At the moment, there is no alliance between us in Karnataka. We are pitted against the BJP." Contacted for a response, BJP's Tamil Nadu vice-president Narayanan Thirupati said, "Let's see what happens." Asked if the two allies were in touch over the issue, he said, "I am not aware."

The BJP, which won just four seats in the 2021 Assembly polls that brought the DMK to power, has pushed for a larger role in the state over the past couple of years, when the AIADMK's political activities were hit by a bitter power tussle between factions led by Mr Palaniswami and former Chief Minister O Panneerselvam.

Last year, Mr Annamalai went as far as claiming that the BJP was the real Opposition in Tamil Nadu.

The AIADMK was also uncomfortable about the BJP's attempts to stitch an alliance with VK Sasikala, aide of former chief minister and AIADMK leader late J Jayalalitha. Ms Sasikala was expelled by the AIADMK when she was in prison after her conviction in a corruption case. The BJP had also pushed for a tie-up with Amma Makkal Munneetra Kazagam, led by Ms Sasikala's nephew TTV Dhinakaran.

The AIADMK was not amused by the BJP's outreach to its breakaway outfits. C Ponnaiyan, senior AIADMK leader, had then said, "We know how BJP has toppled governments of their allies in other states. We are careful."

The BJP's Annamalai had downplayed the matter, saying that Ponnaiyan is known for making a U-turn after such statements.

The late J Jayalalitha, despite her friendly relations with BJP leaders, had largely avoided electoral tie-ups with the BJP. But following her death, the party leadership comprising EPS and OPS - as Mr Panneerselvam is referred to - agreed to an alliance with BJP.

Since the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the AIADMK has suffered three electoral defeats in elections it fought in alliance with the BJP.

The strain in the alliance showed during the recent Erode East assembly bypoll, when AIADMK leaders avoided campaigning with their BJP counterparts. The bypoll was eventually won by the Congress-DMK candidate by a big margin.