As DMK alliance sweeps Tamil Nadu, why AIADMK’s loss is BJP’s gain

The DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance’s clean sweep in Tamil Nadu has left principal Opposition party AIADMK grappling with questions about its future, given that it has faced a poll debacle for the second straight parliamentary election, and has provided the BJP with a silver lining despite troubles of its own.

Unlike last time, when the AIADMK won one constituency, the AIADMK failed to win any of the 39 Lok Sabha constituencies this time even though it marginally increased its vote share from 19.39% to 20.46%. Once a formidable force, the Dravidian party has been relegated to the third place in 12 critical constituencies, with the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) taking the second place behind the DMK. The BJP finished second in nine of these seats. These constituencies are Chennai Central, Chennai South, Coimbatore, Kanyakumari, Madurai, Nilgiris, Tirunelveli, Tiruvallur, Vellore, Dharmapuri, Ramanathapuram, and Theni, which was the sole seat the AIADMK won in 2019.

For the AIADMK, more worrying will be Kanyakumari and the Union Territory of Puducherry where it finished fourth behind Tamil nationalist leader Seeman’s Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK). Adding to its woes, AIADMK candidates in seven constituencies — Chennai South, Kanyakumari, Puducherry, Theni, Thoothukudi, Tirunelveli, and Vellore — lost their deposits.

While AIADMK chief and former Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami said the election was a lesson on how to face the 2026 Assembly elections, a former AIADMK minister said Palaniswami, or EPS as he is popularly known, should read the signs of danger. “There is a huge setback in southern Tamil Nadu. Seeman’s NTK and the BJP ate into our votes. The results show that revamping the party is crucial