Amit Shah rules out Udhayanidhi as CM, says NDA will form govt in 2026

CHENNAI: Taking on the ruling DMK-led alliance, Union Home Minister and senior BJP leader Amit Shah on Friday declared that Chief Minister MK Stalin’s bid to anoint his son Udhayanidhi Stalin as successor “will not come true,” asserting that the NDA would form the government in Tamil Nadu in the 2026 Assembly elections.

Addressing the BJP’s booth committee conference at Thachanallur in Tirunelveli, Shah said, “Stalin’s only agenda is to make Udhayanidhi the Chief Minister. Sonia Gandhi’s only agenda is to make Rahul Gandhi the Prime Minister. These dreams will never materialise. The NDA will ensure victory and deliver governance for the people of Tamil Nadu.”

Accusing the DMK government of “setting records in corruption,” he cited scams ranging from recruitment to Tasmac, sand mining and transport. Defending the NDA’s proposed legislation mandating resignation of Ministers on conviction, he asked: “Can Tamil Nadu Ministers like Senthilbalaji and Ponmudy continue in power while in jail?”

Shah urged booth committees to carry out door-to-door campaigns, stressing their role in “uprooting the DMK,” and highlighted the BJP-led NDA’s efforts to honour Tamil identity, from electing APJ Abdul Kalam as President to initiatives such as the Kashi Tamil Sangamam and the Rajendra Chola memorial.

Former DMK spokesperson KS Radhakrishnan joined the BJP at the event, which drew over 50,000 workers, according to State president Nainar Nagenthran.

Party sources said Shah also held separate discussions with Nagenthran and former BJP chief K Annamalai, urging them to work together with the AIADMK.

From the dais, Annamalai declared: “We have to make our Annan, Edappadi K Palaniswami, the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu in 2026.”

Notably, Shah did not refer Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam president Vijay, who had sharply criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP at a Madurai rally on Thursday.