NDA unity on display as Goyal, EPS vow united fight for Tamil Nadu elections

Union Minister and BJP's Tamil Nadu election in-charge Piyush Goyal on Tuesday (December 23) held high-level talks with AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami, signalling the formal commencement of seat-sharing negotiations for the 2026 Assembly polls.

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Goyal, who arrived in Chennai this morning for his first visit since taking charge, began the day with a core committee meeting at the BJP state headquarters in T Nagar. He discussed election preparedness and strategies with senior party leaders, including Union Minister L Murugan and state BJP chief Nainar Nagenthran. Later, Goyal met Palaniswami and other key AIADMK leaders such as former ministers KP Munusamy, P Thangamani, SP Velumani, and Dindigul Srinivasan. From the BJP, Murugan, Nagenthran, and national co-in-charge P Sudhakar Reddy attended the meeting.

NDA unity push for 2026

Following the meeting, Goyal and Palaniswami jointly addressed the media, emphasising unity within the NDA. “It was a pleasure to meet my dear brother and friend Edappadi Palaniswami,” Goyal said. “We will contest the elections in Tamil Nadu under his leadership. Today's meeting was excellent, and we discussed stepping up political activities and strategies for the 2026 polls. The NDA family, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership, will achieve a resounding victory in 2026.”

Goyal flagged concerns about the ruling DMK government, stating, “Employment opportunities for youth have been severely affected by the corrupt DMK regime. We need a government focused on development, one that secures a bright future for Tamil Nadu's people, youth, farmers, fishermen, and small enterprises. We will work together for this.”

Palaniswami echoed the sentiment, “After a long gap, it was good to meet Goyal today. He inquired about the situation in Tamil Nadu. We exchanged views on how the AIADMK, BJP, and other NDA constituents should work together for the 2026 Assembly elections. We have taken the first steps to defeat the DMK."

BJP eyes more seats

Sources indicate that preliminary discussions on seat allocation took place, though no official announcements were made. Reports suggest the AIADMK may propose around 170 seats for itself, while the BJP is eyeing a larger share to expand its footprint.

In the 2021 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, the BJP contested 20 seats as part of its alliance headed by AIADMK. In the subsequent Lok Sabha elections, the AIADMK broke away from the BJP-led alliance and contested in tie-up with the DMDK, and secured around 24% of the vote share.

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Meanwhile, the NDA, which included the BJP, TTV Dhinakaran's AMMK, PMK, and O Panneerselvam, polled approximately 18% of the votes. Therefore, this time, the BJP does not appear to be retreating on the issue of seat allocation. On the contrary, the party seems determined to push for a higher number of seats.

AIADMK draws red lines

AIADMK sources expect that parties like PMK and DMDK may join the NDA alliance after the Pongal festival. There is reportedly no opposition from the AIADMK side to including figures such as TTV Dhinakaran and O Panneerselvam in the alliance. However, AIADMK insiders have stated that they will not actively encourage or support their inclusion, and any seats allocated to them should come from the BJP's share. It has also been indicated that AIADMK will maintain no direct contact with these individuals.

In related developments, AIADMK leaders have stepped up criticism of actor Vijay's Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK). Senior leader D Jayakumar remarked, “A party needs its own identity. Vijay is wearing the masks of MGR and others, lacking originality. Voters loyal to the two leaves symbol will never shift elsewhere.”