AIADMK founder M. G. Ramachandran formed the alliance, consisting of the Indian National Congress (INC) and the Communist Party of India (CPI), and faced the party's first ever general election post-emergency in 1977. Though that election resulted in a heavy defeat for the Prime Minister of India Indira Gandhi-led Indian National Congress at the national level, the AIADMK-INC Alliance swept Tamil Nadu by winning 34 out of 39 Lok Sabha seats in the state. The Janata Party won the election at the center. After the election, the AIADMK ended up supporting the Janata Party under Morarji Desai. In 1979, AIADMK continued to support the Janata Party by supporting the Charan Singh government, which resulted in the appointment of two AIADMK cabinet members, making it the first time a non-congress Dravidian party member and the regional party member made it to the council of ministers at the national level.^[5]

AIADMK won the 1977 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election with its allies, defeating its rival Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), and M. G. Ramachandran (M.G.R.) was sworn in as the third chief minister of Tamil Nadu.

In the 1980 Indian general election, the AIADMK and Janata Party alliance faced an upset defeat at the hands of the INC and DMK alliance, winning only 2 seats in Tamil Nadu.^[6] The INC and DMK alliance won 37 out of 39 seats in that election, which emboldened their alliance and made them think that people lost their faith in the M.G.R.-led government in the state. Under DMK's pressure, the AIADMK ministry and the Tamil Nadu legislative assembly were dismissed by the Indira Gandhi-led government on grounds of civil disorder due to farmers protests for electricity subsidies. The Tamil Nadu legislative assembly election was held in 1980, in which the AIADMK and its allies, the AIFB, CPI, CPI(M), and GKNC won 162 seats, and again M.G.R. was sworn in as chief minister of Tamil Nadu for the second time. After this election, INC came close to the AIADMK.^[7]

In the wake of Chief Minister MGR's hospitalization in New York City and subsequent Assassination of Indira Gandhi, newly assumed Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi felt that his Government required a fresh mandate from the people, and dissolved the Lok Sabha a year before its actual end of term, for fresh general elections. At the same time, AIADMK recommended dissolution of Tamil Nadu State Assembly a year ahead of end of term, to use the sympathy wave of Congress due to Indira's death and M.G.R's illness. Congress(I) and AIADMK formed an alliance and contested both general elections to Lok Sabha and Tamil Nadu Assembly in 1984. The allocation of seats were done what was later dubbed, "The M.G.R formula". Where the regional party would contest 70% of the assembly seats and the national party would be given 70% of the Lok Sabha seats. The result was a landslide victory for INC and its ally AIADMK, winning 37 out of 39 Lok Sabha seats in the state and 195 seats in Tamil Nadu Assembly. M. G. Ramachandran (M.G.R) was sworn in as Chief Minister, for the third time. After the death of M. G. Ramachandran (M.G.R) in December 1987, The AIADMK split into two factions, one led by Janaki and the other by J. Jayalalithaa. Janaki briefly served as the chief minister and her government was dismissed by prime minister Rajiv Gandhi on 30 January 1988 citing the disruptions in the assembly. After a year of President's rule, Both the AIADMK factions contested with different alliances with separate symbols as the election commission froze the "two leaves" symbol of the AIADMK to them for 1989 assembly election. Congress contested the elections alone without allying with either factions and Rajiv Gandhi campaigned extensively making multiple campaign visits to Tamil Nadu. Due to its split, the AIADMK suffered heavily in the election, with the Janaki and Jayalalithaa factions winning only 2 and 27 seats, respectively. Following the AIADMK's rout in the election, the factions led by Jayalalithaa and Janaki merged under Jayalalithaa's leadership on 7 February 1989, as Janaki decided to quit politics as it was not her forte. On 8 February 1989, the Two Leaves symbol was granted to the united AIADMK led by Jayalalithaa.^[8] AIADMK and Congress again allied in mid 1989. This marks the start of the dominance of INC-AIADMK, for the next decade winning 38 seats in 1989 Lok Sabha election and all 39 seats in 1991 Lok Sabha election.^[7][9] In the wake of Rajiv Gandhi Assassination during the election campaign in Tamil Nadu, Democratic Progressive Alliance of AIADMK - Congress swept the state in both the Tamil Nadu assembly and Lok Sabha elections in 1991. AIADMK General Secretary J. Jayalalithaa sworn in as the chief minister for the first time.^[10] AIADMK - Congress Alliance routed in 1996 assembly election and Lok Sabha polls.

In the 1998 Indian general election, the AIADMK revived its electoral fortunes when it formed an alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK), and the alliance won 30 seats out of 39 in Tamil Nadu. In the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led government between 1998 and 1999, the AIADMK shared power with the BJP but withdrew its support of the 18 elected Lok Sabha MPs in early 1999, causing the BJP government to fall.

Following this, the AIADMK once again allied with the INC in the 1999 general election, and the alliance won 13 seats out of 39 in Tamil Nadu. In the 2001 assembly election, the AIADMK-led Secular Democratic Progressive Alliance, consisting of the Indian National Congress, the Tamil Maanila Congress (Moopanar) (TMC(M)), the Left Front, and the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK), regained power, winning 197 seats to the AIADMK's 132. Jayalalithaa sworn in as the chief minister for the second time.^[11] In 2004 Lok Sabha general election, AIADMK led National Democratic Alliance consisting of BJP, won none of the 39 Lok Sabha seats from the state. In 2006 assembly election, in spite of media speculations of a hung assembly, the AIADMK led Democratic People Alliance, contesting with only the support of the MDMK, VCK and few other smaller parties, won 69 seats, with the AIADMK winning 61, compared to the DMK's 96. The AIADMK's electoral reversals continued in the 2009 general election. However, the party's performance was better than its debacle in 2004, and the AIADMK-led Third Front consisting of PMK, MDMK and left parties managed to win 12 seats, with the AIADMK winning 9 seats.

In the 2011 assembly election, AIADMK led alliance with parties like the left and actor-turned-politician Vijayakant's Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK), swept the polls, winning 203 seats, with the AIADMK winning 150. Jayalalithaa was sworn in as chief minister for the fourth time. In the union territory of Puducherry, the AIADMK allied with N. Rangasamy's All India N.R. Congress (AINRC) and won the 2011 assembly election, which was held in parallel with the Tamil Nadu assembly election. Rangasamy, on the other hand, formed the government without consulting the AIADMK and refused to share power with the pre-election alliance partner. So Jayalalithaa accused him of betraying the coalition.

The AIADMK's good electoral performance continued in the 2014 general election as well. It opted not to join any alliance and contested all seats in the state of Tamil Nadu and the union territory of Puducherry on its own. The party won an unprecedented 37 out of the 40 parliamentary constituencies it contested and emerged as the third largest party in the 16th Lok Sabha of the Indian Parliament. It was a massive victory that no other regional political party had ever achieved in the history of general elections. In the 2016 assembly election, running without allies, she swept the polls, winning 135 out of 234 seats. It was the most audacious decision made by her for the spectacular victory that no other political leader had ever made in the history of Tamil Nadu. On 23 May 2016, Jayalalithaa was sworn in as chief minister for the sixth time. After Jayalalithaa's death on 5 December 2016, AIADMK had gone through a sea changes, from accepting Sasikala as acting general secretary, Party Split, Merger of OPS and EPS factions, Sasikala's expulsion to Introduction of dual Leadership in the party.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha election, AIADMK led by then Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami and Deputy Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam as Coordinators, in alliance with the BJP again, won only one of the 39 Lok Sabha seats from the state and lost to the DMK led Secular Progressive Alliance. Later, in the 2021 assembly election, the AIADMK-led National Democratic Alliance, consisting of the PMK, BJP, and a few other smaller parties, won 75 seats compared to the 159 seats won by the DMK alliance and was pushed out of power by the DMK after a decade. The AIADMK emerged as the main party of the opposition in the assembly by winning 66 seats. During the period of 2022-23, The AIADMK again undergone many changes like abolition of dual leadership^[12] and the election of Edappadi K. Palaniswami as its General Secretary.^[13][14] Following the tensions with the BJP, The AIADMK left the National Democratic Alliance, by snapping ties with the BJP and It was officially announced on 25 September 2023. AIADMK to form and lead the new alliance headed by the General secretary Palaniswami to face the 2024 Indian general election and TN Assembly election in the state.^[15][16][17]

In the 2024 general election, the AIADMK-led Alliance consisting of Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK), Puthiya Tamilagam (PT), and the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) contested in the state of Tamil Nadu and the union territories of Puducherry and Andaman and Nicobar Islands for the 18th Lok Sabha polls. In the alliance, the AIADMK contested 36 constituencies and the DMDK contested five constituencies. The alliance lost in all the constituencies it contested, and the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance swept the election in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.^[18]

• National Democratic Alliance
• Secular Progressive Alliance
• Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance