CHENNAI: The BJP has suffered a major blow ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) – BJP’s biggest ally in south India, has quit the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
Notably, the AIADMK is the main opposition party in Tamil Nadu.
AIADMK stated that BJP’s “unnecessary remarks” about the party’s former leaders as one of the reasons for it quit the NDA.
However, there has been long-standing differences between the two parties.
AIADMK said it would lead an “alliance of like-minded parties” in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
The end of the alliance was expected after the failure of an AIADMK delegation’s talks with the BJP central leadership in Delhi.
The BJP’s senior leaders were said to have not shown an inclination to rein in Tamil Nadu BJP chief K Annamalai, whose remarks had widened the gap between the two parties.
AIADMK deputy general secretary KP Munusamy said that the “unanimous decision” to quit the NDA was in response to BJP’s “sustained attacks” on the party and its leaders over the past year.
In its statement, the AIADMK on Monday (September 25) said: “Under the leadership of the respected party General Secretary, ‘Revolutionary Tamilar’, Edappadi K Palaniswami, the meeting of the main party executives, district party executives, party parliamentary committee, legislative members, who reflected the sentiments and thoughts of 2 crore party followers, it has been unanimously decided that AIADMK will exit from the NDA starting from today.”