TN NDA seat-sharing talks kick off in Chennai as Goyal meets Palaniswami
TN NDA seat-sharing talks kick off in Chennai as Goyal meets Palaniswami
The NDA in Tamil Nadu, led by AIADMK, holds its first seat-sharing round in Chennai with Piyush Goyal overseeing talks to challenge DMK, while seats remain undecided.
The National Democratic Alliance in Tamil Nadu kicked off its first round of seat-sharing talks ahead of the 2026 assembly elections, with Union commerce minister Piyush Goyal arriving in Chennai to oversee the process.
AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami led the discussions, joined by a BJP delegation including Tamil Nadu state president Nainar Nagendran and ministers Arjun Ram Meghwal and L Murugan, plus national secretary Arvind Menon and national co-incharge Sudhakar Reddy. The meeting, held at a private hotel, lasted about an hour, but the participants did not disclose final seat numbers, saying only that constituencies they’d contest were being exchanged.
A BJP leader present noted that AIADMK had offered BJP a slightly larger share this time, but both sides are aiming for more. Goyal stated that this is about strengthening political work and that the NDA intends to fight the 2026 elections as a united family under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with the aim of giving Tamil Nadu good governance and a development-focused government.
Palaniswami, speaking with his aides S P Velumani, K P Munusamy and P Thangamani, emphasized the NDA's collective approach to beating the DMK, while stressing patience as talks continue. In Chennai, the shadow of the 2026 polls looms large, as party workers and supporters watch for the next rounds of negotiations and announcements of seat parity.
The private hotel scene in Chennai is part of a broader push by the NDA to consolidate opposition space in Tamil Nadu. With Goyal visiting for the state to oversee organisational activities, observers say the talks will move through several rounds, with seat numbers to be finalized only after broader alignment within the NDA family. The goal remains to present a cohesive front in the face of a DMK government perceived by the NDA as corrupt or misgoverning, and to map out a strategy for the months ahead.
