In the 2021 Assembly elections, the BJP contested 20 seats and won four. Another alliance partner, the PMK, was allotted 23 seats. The equation, however, might change following the split in PMK.
Published Dec 26, 2025 | 9:34 AM ⚊ Updated Dec 26, 2025 | 9:34 AM
The BJP is said to be keen on securing more than 50 seats, but the AIADMK is inclined to limit the BJP’s share to fewer than 25 constituencies.
Synopsis: Union Minister Piyush Goyal held consultations with BJP functionaries at Kamalalayam, the party’s state headquarters in T. Nagar, followed by a meeting with AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami, senior leaders and former ministers SP Velumani, Dindigul Srinivasan, KP Munusamy, and Thangamani, among others.
The BJP has staked a claim for more Assembly seats in Tamil Nadu, even as AIADMK stood firm on contesting about 170 out of the 234 segments in the state.
AIADMK’s stand will leave its alliance partners with only 64 seats. The BJP, it was learnt, has sought more than 50 seats at a meeting with AIADMK in Chennai on Tuesday, 23 December.
Union Minister Piyush Goyal held consultations with BJP functionaries at Kamalalayam, the party’s state headquarters in T. Nagar, followed by a meeting with AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami, senior leaders and former ministers SP Velumani, Dindigul Srinivasan, KP Munusamy, and Thangamani, among others.
Sources said the discussions covered issues such as the 2026 Assembly elections, seat-sharing, grassroots-level work, and election campaigning.
BJP state president Nainar Nagendran confirmed that the meeting discussed the upcoming election.
“Today, AIADMK General Secretary and Leader of the Opposition in the Tamil Nadu Assembly, Thiru Edappadi K Palaniswami, along with former AIADMK ministers, met Union Minister for Commerce and Industry Thiru Piyush Goyal—appointed as the BJP’s election in-charge for the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections—and Union Minister of State for Law and Justice Thiru Arjun Ram Meghwal, as a courtesy and held discussions regarding the 2026 Assembly elections,” he posted on X.
Reports said that the two parties discussed seat-sharing during the deliberations. The BJP is said to be keen on securing more than 50 seats, but the AIADMK is inclined to limit the BJP’s share to fewer than 25 constituencies.
According to these reports, the AIADMK plans to contest more than 170 seats on its own, allocate around 23 seats to the BJP and PMK, and offer six seats to the DMDK.
However, sources close to the AIADMK denied that such discussions took place during the meeting. They stated that while seat-sharing was not formally discussed, the BJP is keen on contesting more seats in Chennai.
They also said the BJP is particularly focusing on temple towns and constituencies considered religiously sensitive in Tamil Nadu.
In the 2021 Assembly elections, the BJP contested 20 seats as part of the AIADMK-led alliance and won four.
The PMK was allotted 23 seats, more than the BJP, in 2021.
Based on the same arithmetic, political circles felt the AIADMK may offer the BJP 23 seats this time.
Meanwhile, with the PMK split into two — the Ramadoss faction and the Anbumani faction — it remains unclear which faction will align with the AIADMK, adding further uncertainty to the alliance calculations.
(Edited by Majnu Babu).
