New Delhi: Union Minister Piyush Goyal arrived in Chennai on Monday to hold discussions with alliance partners and finalise the seat sharing arrangement for the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election, 2026. The meeting comes amid heightened political activity as parties gear up for the upcoming state polls.
During his visit, Goyal met Nainar Nagenthran and other leaders from the alliance to accelerate negotiations over the distribution of constituencies among coalition partners. The discussions are aimed at finalising the structure of the National Democratic Alliance in the state.
Speaking to reporters, the minister expressed strong confidence in the alliance’s prospects. He said the coalition expects to perform decisively in both Tamil Nadu and Puducherry and predicted that the alliance would secure victory in the elections.
Goyal indicated that the seat sharing talks would be resolved through consensus among partners, describing the alliance as a closely knit political family. He highlighted the participation of several leaders including Edappadi K. Palaniswami, Anbumani Ramadoss, T. T. V. Dhinakaran and L. Murugan in the ongoing discussions.
The minister also noted that the alliance will soon begin its election campaign and discussions will be held with partners to plan the next visit of Narendra Modi to the state.
The upcoming election is expected to see a direct contest between two major political blocs. On one side is the alliance led by the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam along with the Indian National Congress and other partners. On the other is the NDA led by the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam with the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Pattali Makkal Katchi among its allies.
Voting for the 234 member assembly will take place in a single phase on April 23, with the counting of votes scheduled for May 4. The term of the current assembly is set to conclude on May 10.
