Chennai, Mar 19:
The AIADMK–BJP alliance is set to officially announce its seat-sharing arrangement for the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, with a formal declaration expected tomorrow after days of intense negotiations.
Edappadi K. Palaniswami left for New Delhi today to hold decisive discussions with Amit Shah and senior BJP leaders to finalise the constituency-sharing formula.
Sources within the alliance indicate that the meeting is aimed at sealing the “letter of understanding” between the two parties. Following this, the official announcement is scheduled to take place in Chennai, marking the conclusion of prolonged negotiations.
The Bharatiya Janata Party is reportedly seeking a larger share this time, demanding at least 29 constituencies—up from the 20 seats it contested in the 2021 Assembly elections.
The party is particularly interested in key urban constituencies in Chennai, including Velachery, Mylapore, and T. Nagar, which are considered politically significant and symbolically important.
The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam is expected to retain around 170 seats, distributing the remaining constituencies among its allies.
Apart from BJP, other NDA partners likely to receive seats include the Pattali Makkal Katchi, Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam, and Tamil Maanila Congress.
Negotiations have involved careful trade-offs, particularly in constituencies where multiple allies have a strong presence.
Adding weight to the final stage of talks, senior BJP leader and Union Minister Piyush Goyal is expected to arrive in Chennai tomorrow.
His participation is being seen as a crucial step in formally concluding the agreement, with indications that the seat-sharing pact could either be signed or officially announced following the high-level meeting.
The announcement of the seat-sharing formula will mark the end of alliance consolidation for the AIADMK-led front and pave the way for candidate announcements and full-fledged campaign launches.
With polling scheduled for April 23, the agreement is also expected to influence the strategies of rival alliances, including the DMK-led front and emerging players like Vijay’s TVK.
As Tamil Nadu heads into a high-stakes electoral battle, all eyes are now on tomorrow’s announcement, which will define the alliance’s electoral roadmap