With the crucial 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections just months away, the BJP’s poll activities are set to gain momentum as Union Minister and BJP’s election in-charge for Tamil Nadu Piyush Goyal holding a series of important meetings in Chennai to review election preparedness and strengthen the NDA strategy.
Piyush Goyal met AIADMK general secretary Edappadi Palaniswami at a private hotel here this afternoon and discussed on seat-sharing for the TN Assembly polls.
Earlier, Goyal chaired separate meeting with the Central Committee and Core Committee members of the BJP Tamil Nadu unit at the party headquarters, Kamalalayam, to assess booth-level work, organisational readiness and constituency strategies. Senior leaders including State President Nainar Nagendran, and Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan, MLAs and other key functionaries are expected to participate.
Piyush Goyal also attends a tea party hosted by Governor RN Ravi at Lok Bhavan later this evening. Senior BJP leaders and AIADMK honchos attend the meet.
The BJP and AIADMK, having recently revived ties, aim to build a strong front to challenge the ruling DMK, which they have accused of failing to fulfil its 2021 poll promises.
The meeting also comes amid reports that Nainar Nagendran had recently met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi and reportedly discussed a wish list of seats, suggesting the BJP should contest at least 50 constituencies. However, Nagendran has denied submitting any such formal proposal.
Meanwhile, the AIADMK is facing internal challenges, including desertions of key leaders to the DMK and disciplinary actions such as the expulsion of senior leader K.A. Sengottaiyan, who later joined actor Vijay’s TVK. Demands raised by some sections for reinducting O. Panneerselvam (OPS), V.K. Sasikala and T.T.V. Dhinakaran were firmly rejected by EPS. OPS had recently met Amit Shah seeking intervention, though Shah clearly stated the BJP would not interfere in AIADMK’s internal affairs.
The NDA is also attempting to revive ties with PMK—currently facing a leadership tussle between Dr S. Ramadoss and Dr Anbumani Ramadoss—and the DMDK, along with other like-minded parties, to form a strong electoral front. This comes after OPS and Dhinakaran quit the NDA earlier, publicly opposing EPS’ chief ministerial projection.
For both the AIADMK and BJP, the 2026 elections are seen as highly crucial, especially after successive electoral setbacks since 2019. However, they face a tough challenge as the DMK-led front remains strong, having swept the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, 2021 Assembly elections and 2024 Parliamentary elections. Chief Minister M.K. Stalin has already begun intensive district-level reviews and preliminary seat-sharing discussions with alliance partners, including the Congress.
With the election clock ticking, the NDA is racing against time to finalise alliances and strategies, while the DMK-led Front continues to appear united and electorally dominant.