CHENNAI: Seat-sharing negotiations within the NDA for the upcoming Tamil Nadu Assembly elections are set to reach a decisive stage on Monday, with Union Minister and BJP’s state poll in-charge Piyush Goyal scheduled to meet AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami and key alliance leaders in the city.
Indicating that a final formula could emerge soon, Goyal said discussions among alliance partners would be held in a family spirit and concluded without being bound by rigid timelines. “We will all sit down in a room and decide and let you know today,” he told reporters here, expressing confidence that the talks would be smooth.
Drawing an analogy from his experience with trade negotiations, he said, “I never worked with deadlines, I worked for quality,” while asserting that the NDA constituents, including Palaniswami, PMK leader Anbumani Ramadoss, AMMK’s T T V Dhinakaran, BJP state president Nainar Nagenthran and Union Minister L Murugan, were aligned.
Goyal also projected optimism about the alliance’s electoral prospects, claiming that Tamil Nadu today is ready for an NDA government and alleging widespread dissatisfaction with the DMK-Congress combine. “Tamil Nadu is ready for change,” he said.
The Union Minister further said the alliance, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, would focus on development across sectors, including agriculture, fisheries, MSMEs and industry, while creating jobs and expanding opportunities for youth and startups.
On the Prime Minister’s proposed visit, Goyal said the schedule would be finalised in consultation with alliance partners once the campaign is formally launched.
The high-level meeting in Chennai is expected to firm up seat-sharing arrangements and set the tone for the NDA’s joint campaign in the State.