Prime Minister Narendra Modi Arrives in Chennai Ahead of Madurai Rally and Puducherry Visit
Prime Minister Narendra Modi landed in Chennai late on Saturday, spending the night at Lok Bhavan before a major rally scheduled for Sunday in Madurai, followed by a visit to Puducherry. Upon his arrival at the airport, he was greeted by AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami, senior party leaders K P Munusamy and S P Velumani, state BJP president Nainar Nagendran, and senior BJP leader Tamilisai Soundararajan.
Seat-Sharing Talks to Commence After Modi's Rally, Emphasizing Political Strategy
Discussions regarding seat-sharing within the AIADMK-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) are set to initiate only after Prime Minister Modi's rally in Madurai. This sequence highlights the alliance's strategic approach, prioritizing public mobilization before negotiations. Senior BJP leader Piyush Goyal indicated that the electoral calculations for the alliance will be influenced by the momentum generated from ground-level activities.
Alliance partners, including T T V Dhinakaran of AMMK, Anbumani Ramadoss of PMK, and other minor parties, are also expected to engage in talks following a meeting between Edappadi K Palaniswami and Piyush Goyal in Madurai.
Goyal Stresses Family-Like Unity and Criticizes Opposition in NDA Alliance
Piyush Goyal described the AIADMK-BJP partnership as a "family", stating, "Our hearts are with each other and we are working like a family. In a family, these things are decided inside the house and not in public." This remark suggests that any internal disagreements will be resolved privately. He further asserted that an NDA government would bring good governance, development, prosperity, and respect for Tamil culture, language, and people to Tamil Nadu.
As part of his itinerary, Prime Minister Modi plans to visit the Lord Murugan temple at Thiruparankundram. Goyal criticized the ruling DMK, alleging that previous obstructions to lamp-lighting ceremonies at the temple had harmed "Tamil pride and culture".
Political Rebukes and Hard Bargaining Behind the Scenes
Goyal also took a jab at former chief minister O Panneerselvam for aligning with the DMK, noting that political decisions have consequences. He accused OPS of deviating from the principles of the late J Jayalalithaa and warned that the public would not ignore what he termed as "backstabbing".
Behind the public statements, intense negotiations are underway. A senior BJP official revealed that the party is pushing for approximately 30 seats, an increase of 10 from the 2021 elections. Conversely, AIADMK leaders are reportedly adamant about contesting no fewer than 170 seats, reflecting their ambition to regain power independently while still including allies. There are indications that smaller alliance partners might be encouraged to contest under the AIADMK's "two leaves" symbol to streamline the electoral process.
