BJP leader and Union Minister Piyush Goyal on Tuesday formally commenced seat-sharing talks with the AIADMK, marking a key development in alliance-building ahead of the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections.
With only a few months remaining for the polls, the initiation of negotiations signals the beginning of serious efforts to revive and strengthen the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the state.
The political atmosphere in Tamil Nadu has been heating up, with parties intensifying alliance manoeuvres, campaign preparations, public meetings, and manifesto drafting. In this backdrop, Goyal, who has been appointed as the BJP's election in-charge for Tamil Nadu, arrived in Chennai to take stock of the party's readiness and open formal dialogue with potential allies.
Soon after his arrival, Goyal held a detailed review meeting with senior BJP leaders and office-bearers at the party's state headquarters in T. Nagar. The discussions focused on organisational preparedness, booth-level strengthening, ground realities across constituencies, and the BJP's assessment of its winning prospects in different regions of the state.
Party sources said the meeting also reviewed feedback from district units and strategies for expanding the BJP's footprint in Tamil Nadu.
Following the internal consultations, Goyal proceeded to a star hotel in MRC Nagar, where he met AIADMK general secretary and former Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami for high-level talks.
The meeting is being seen as a significant step towards finalising a pre-poll understanding between the two parties.
Sources indicated that the discussions centred on strengthening the alliance framework and negotiating seat-sharing arrangements for the Assembly elections.
Several senior AIADMK leaders and former ministers, including K.P. Munusamy, Thangamani, S.P. Velumani and Dindigul Srinivasan, were present at the meeting along with Palaniswami, underscoring the importance the party attaches to the talks.
Political circles also suggest that broader alliance consolidation is on the agenda. Reports indicate that possibilities of bringing leaders such as T.T.V. Dhinakaran and former Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam back into the NDA fold are being explored, along with efforts to reunite smaller parties that were earlier part of the alliance under a single umbrella.
According to informed sources, the BJP is likely to seek between 30 and 40 Assembly seats in the initial phase of negotiations. Including constituencies earmarked for smaller allies, the BJP's overall demand could extend to around 50 seats. However, leaders from both sides have maintained that the final contours of seat-sharing will become clear only after further rounds of discussions.
The commencement of formal talks is expected to set the tone for alliance politics in Tamil Nadu as parties gear up for an intense electoral battle in the months ahead.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
