Chennai, July 3 (IANS) In a move that signals renewed bonhomie between the AIADMK and the BJP, the leadership of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) has extended an official invitation to Tamil Nadu BJP chief K. Annamalai’s successor and current state president, Nainar Nagendran, and other senior BJP functionaries to participate in party general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami’s (EPS) campaign launch on July 7 at Mettupalayam, Coimbatore.

According to senior sources within the AIADMK, the invitation was conveyed through a top leader of the party and marks a significant outreach to their alliance partner.

The campaign, titled ‘Makkalai Kaappom, Thamizhagathai Meetpom’ (Let’s Protect the People and Reclaim Tamil Nadu), will kickstart from the Western region and is seen as the first major step in the party’s preparation for the upcoming 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections.

Palaniswami is set to tour nine districts, covering 21 party units and addressing over 30 public meetings during the first phase of the campaign.

The initiative is aimed at strengthening the party’s grassroots connection and mobilising cadres ahead of what is expected to be a high-stakes electoral battle next year.

The presence of BJP leaders on the campaign dais is being viewed as a calculated strategy to dispel speculations regarding friction within the NDA alliance in Tamil Nadu.

“Our state president, Nainar Nagendran, has received a formal invitation from our ally, and we will be participating in the launch event to show our continued support,” said BJP general secretary A.P. Muruganandam.

He added that a large contingent of BJP cadres from Coimbatore and other parts of western Tamil Nadu will also attend the programme to express solidarity with the AIADMK.

This will be the first time since the revival of the BJP-AIADMK alliance on April 11 — in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Chennai — that senior leaders from both parties will publicly share the dais at a political event.

The renewed partnership, however, faced a brief turbulence during the Hindu Munnani’s Murugan Manadu held in Madurai. An audio-visual presentation at the event had included disparaging references to Dravidian stalwarts Thanthai Periyar and C.N. Annadurai, prompting strong objections from AIADMK leaders.

The party had publicly condemned the remarks and reiterated its commitment to the legacy of its Dravidian roots. Despite that hiccup, both parties have since worked to smooth over differences, with this joint appearance expected to send a clear signal of unity to their respective party cadres and the electorate.

–IANS

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