Chennai - On Monday, the AIADMK announced its withdrawal from the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and declared its intention to lead a separate coalition for the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

The decision to disassociate from the NDA was made during a high-level meeting presided over by the party's leader, Edappadi K Palaniswami, at the AIADMK headquarters. K P Munusamy, a former Minister and senior party figure, briefed reporters on the discussions, revealing that the party had unanimously resolved to depart from the NDA and forge an alliance with like-minded parties in the forthcoming elections.

The resolution, without explicitly naming individuals, expressed dissatisfaction with the recent actions of the BJP's state leadership, which had allegedly tarnished the legacy of Dravidian leaders, the late CN Annadurai and the late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, in addition to criticizing the AIADMK's policies. It was apparent that the Dravidian party was unhappy with BJP state president K Annamalai, whose comments regarding Annadurai had strained the relationship between the two former allies.

Prominent party office-bearers, district secretaries, as well as MLAs and MPs, participated in the AIADMK meeting. Amid celebrations with fireworks at the party headquarters, Munusamy emphasized that the unanimous decision reflected the sentiments and aspirations of over two crore party members.