NDA will win Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, says Home Minister Amit Shah

The BJP on Sunday sounded the poll bugle in Tamil Nadu with party’s top strategist and Union Home Minister Amit Shah predicting the victory of the AIADMK-BJP coalition in the 2026 Assembly election.

Shah said just like 2024 marked history with the BJP and NDA partners clocking record wins across the Lok Sabha, Odisha, Haryana, Maharashtra and Delhi polls, 2026 would signal winds of change for Tamil Nadu and West Bengal.

DMK spokesperson Syed Hafeezullah said the BJP may remotely win even in the US, but had no chance in Tamil Nadu.

Arriving in the state for a two-day meeting on election planning today, Shah took a swipe at Tamil Nadu CM and DMK president MK Stalin who recently said the BJP could never defeat the Dravidian major in its southern bastion.

“Stalin says Shah cannot defeat the DMK. The CM is right because the power to defeat the DMK is with the people of Tamil Nadu. I have participated in elections across India, felt the pulse of the people and can say with conviction that Tamil Nadu will uproot the DMK this time,” said Shah.

The rally, however, turned out to be a BJP affair with no NDA ally in attendance despite speculation that they would attend.

Shah for his part, flagged the victory of the Indian military in Operation Sindoor and said like the rest of the country, “Tamil Nadu participated in the Tiranga Yatra to mark Operation Sindoor and displayed exemplary patriotism.”

Stressing the muscular national policy against terrorism, Shah said India was now moving towards self-reliance in defence. “Operation Sindoor is still ongoing. Any act of aggression will be met with a stronger response and the fight against terrorism will reach its conclusive end now,” said Shah, accusing the DMK of practising a politics of caste and appeasement.

Flagging the renaming of Bhagwan Murugan Hill as “Alexander Hill”, Shah said people would not forgive the DMK for disrespecting Lord Murugan. Daring Stalin to make medical and engineering courses available in Tamil language for students, he said 2024 had marked history for the BJP and 2026 would similarly herald winds of change for Tamil Nadu.

He said, “Modi secured a historic third term at the Centre. For the first time, the BJP formed a majority government in Odisha. In Haryana, the BJP won a third straight term. In Maharashtra, we clocked the best-ever performance and in Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal was ousted and the BJP formed a government after 27 years.”

“Change is on the horizon. Soon NDA governments will be established in both Tamil Nadu and West Bengal,” said Shah, accusing the DMK of Rs 450-crore nutrition scam and Rs 4,600-crore sand mining scam.