Tamil Nadu Assembly Elections 2026 | AIADMK, NDA leaders travel to Delhi for seat-sharing talks

The visit triggered a sharp reaction from CM M K Stalin who asked people to think deep what will happen to the state, if the opposition alliance wins the elections.

Chennai: Seat-sharing talks in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has shifted to New Delhi with AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami travelling to the national capital to hold negotiations with Union Home Minister Amit Shah, signifying the key role that the BJP has assumed in Tamil Nadu, where the party is yet to find a foothold. 

After Palaniswami, other key leaders of the NDA – R Anbumani of PMK and AMMK’s T T V Dhinakaran and TN BJP chief Nainar Nagenthiran – will also meet Shah to discuss the broad contours of the seat-sharing arrangement between constituents of the alliance. 

The visits by leaders from Tamil Nadu to New Delhi is in sharp contrast to how the AIADMK-led was formalised in 2019 and 2021, when Shah travelled to Chennai to convince Palaniswami to induct AMMK into the alliance.

In both elections, Palaniswami bargained tough to restrict the BJP to five Lok Sabha seats, two less than what the party contested way back in 2004, and 20 Assembly seats respectively. 

This was Palaniswami’s third visit to New Delhi in three months to meet Shah to discuss the strategy for the April 23 Assembly elections. The visit triggered a sharp reaction from Chief Minister M K Stalin who asked people to think deep what will happen to the state, if the opposition alliance wins the elections. 

“Those who pawned their own party for their selfish interests won’t mind doing the same to the state. Any decision taken by the opposition is taken in New Delhi,” Stalin said, utilising Palaniswami’s meeting with Shah to drive home his party’s oft-repeated slogan that the Assembly election is a contest between “Tamil Nadu and NDA.”

On his part, Palaniswami defended his New Delhi visit, say he decided to travel since Shah was busy with Assembly elections to five states. During the meeting, it is believed that the number of seats to be contested by BJP and other alliance partners – especially the constituencies – were largely decided. 

The deal between AIADMK and BJP is likely to be signed during Union Minister and party’s election in-charge Piyush Goyal’s visit beginning Saturday. 

While the BJP has sought about 55 seats for the party and its allies like AMMK, Puthiya Needhi Katchi, and others, the AIADMK is willing to offer 40 seats altogether with the saffron party getting between 27 to 30 seats, while Dhinakaran’s party is expected about 8 seats. The PMK is likely to be allotted 17-18 seats, while the AIADMK wants to contest in no less than 165 to 170 seats. 

The seat-sharing talks in the alliance were put on hold with the BJP involved in back-channel negotiations with Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK) of actor Vijay. However, Vijay had on Wednesday clarified that his party will not align with the BJP and that the TVK will contest independently.