India, Dec. 12 -- The AIADMK general and executive council meeting in Chennai earlier this week gave pointers to a realignment of Opposition politics in Tamil Nadu ahead of the assembly elections scheduled next year. One, the meeting endorsed the party's decision to align with the BJP and the NDA; the AIADMK and the BJP-led independent alliances in the last general election, which allowed the DMK-led INDIA bloc to win all 39 Lok Sabha constituencies in the state. Two, the general council empowered party chief and former CM Edappadi Palaniswami (EPS) to decide on allies. Third, it announced that the AIADMK will be the leader of any Opposition alliance in Tamil Nadu: It sets to rest the demand among a section of state BJP leaders for a BJP government in Tamil Nadu. The convergence of the interests of the AIADMK and BJP is based on the realisation that a divided Opposition has limited chance of cornering the ruling DMK-led alliance. The DMK alliance, which includes the Congress, two Communist parties, and the Dalit outfit Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi, is a formidable political and social coalition with a pan-state presence. The AIADMK knows it needs to expand its support base to stay in the race, which necessitates a tie-up with the BJP and other NDA constituents. (The AIADMK-alliance and the NDA together had a 41.33% vote share as against the DMK bloc's 47% in the 2024 general election.) The BJP recognises that the prevailing political paradigm in Tamil Nadu may prefer a Dravidian outfit as vanguard, which the AIADMK can provide for the NDA. The AIADMK, weakened by the death of J Jayalalithaa and multiple splits, retains a 20% vote and has a pan-state presence. A two-front contest would make the Tamil Nadu assembly polls interesting and competitive. The return of the AIADMK adds depth to the NDA, and in EPS, the alliance has a relatable CM face. In fact, the latter has proven to be a tactically smart leader, leading the party since 2017 and negotiating with the BJP, which, many expected, would occupy a pivotal position in the post-Jayalalithaa, post-Karunanidhi Tamil Nadu politics. For sure, the BJP has grown in the state by tweaking its nationalism and Hindutva planks to suit local conditions, but it may still be early days for the party to chart its independent course. That even a popular filmstar like Vijay has sought to claim the legacy of the Dravidian Movement to launch his outfit suggests that the ideological climate in the state continues to favour politics with a federal flavour....