Overview
- Piyush Goyal met AIADMK chief Edappadi K. Palaniswami in Chennai for the first round of NDA talks, where both sides exchanged preferred constituencies but held back on numbers.
- After the meeting, BJP leaders projected a sweeping NDA win in 2026 and accused the DMK government of corruption while stressing a development-focused agenda.
- Party sources indicated the BJP is likely to seek a larger allocation than in 2021, with reports citing a range of roughly 30–45 seats, as AIADMK signals some increase without final agreement.
- The Congress, led by a five-member panel, pressed the DMK to settle the alliance and seat-sharing after a lapsed December 15 target and is seeking cabinet berths to implement its manifesto.
- Efforts to fold O. Panneerselvam and T. T. V. Dhinakaran into the NDA encountered resistance, with both leaders deferring alliance decisions to a later date.