Chennai, 23 March (H.S.): Union Minister and BJP’s Tamil Nadu election in-charge Piyush Goyal will arrive in Chennai on Monday to push forward decisive talks aimed at concluding the seat-sharing agreement within the AIADMK-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) ahead of the Assembly elections.

The visit comes at a critical juncture, following recent high-level consultations in New Delhi between AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Those discussions are believed to have resolved key areas of disagreement, paving the way for final-stage negotiations in the State.

With a broad understanding already in place, Monday’s meetings are expected to focus on ironing out the remaining differences, particularly in a few constituencies where overlapping claims persist. Alliance leaders have indicated that efforts are being made to ensure a balanced distribution that reflects both electoral strength and ground-level influence of each partner.

BJP state president Nainar Nagenthran said Goyal will meet leaders of alliance parties, including the AIADMK, PMK and AMMK, to formalise the arrangement. He is expected to land in Chennai in the morning and wrap up consultations within a day.

Sources said most of the difficult negotiations have already been resolved, with only a handful of seats left to be settled. The BJP is likely to contest around 28 to 29 seats, while the PMK may get between 16 and 18 constituencies and the AMMK around 10. Smaller allies are expected to be accommodated with one to three seats each based on their local strength.

As the alliance moves towards closure, attention has also turned to key constituencies in urban and politically sensitive regions. In Chennai, options such as T Nagar, Velachery and Mylapore remain under consideration, while adjustments are also being worked out in districts like Coimbatore and Kanyakumari. With momentum building, the alliance is expected to announce a finalised seat-sharing pact soon.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Arun Lakshman