Hyderabad, April 15 -- Although the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections are a year away, the recent announcement of the BJP and AIADMK poll alliance is strategically important. This tie-up, part of the larger National Democratic Alliance at the national level, could benefit both parties in the upcoming elections.

Both sides made compromises. The BJP let go of Annamalai, a key figure for the party's future. Meanwhile, the AIADMK agreed to ally a year before the assembly elections and committed to creating a coalition government if they won. There was no alternative for the BJP in Tamil Nadu other than an alliance with AIADMK, just as it did in Andhra Pradesh in the 2024 assembly polls with TDP. Caste calculations, too, seem to have played a rol...