Chennai (Tamil Nadu)

 All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) General Secretary and former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami on Tuesday met the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) Tamil Nadu election in-charge and Union Minister Piyush Goyal in Chennai, signalling that discussions on a possible National Democratic Alliance (NDA) understanding ahead of the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections are gaining momentum.

According to sources, the meeting focused on election preparedness, organisational coordination, and the broader NDA alliance strategy. Seat-sharing arrangements between the BJP and the AIADMK are also expected to be a key part of the ongoing deliberations as both parties explore the contours of a possible pre-poll understanding.

Earlier in the day, a crucial meeting of the BJP Tamil Nadu Core Committee was held at the party's state headquarters, Kamalalayam, in T. Nagar, Chennai. The meeting was chaired by BJP Election In-charge Piyush Goyal, along with BJP Co-Incharge and Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal and BJP Tamil Nadu State President Nainar Nagenthran. The core committee deliberations focused on chalking out election strategy, reviewing organisational preparedness and planning outreach programmes across the state.

Piyush Goyal arrived in Chennai earlier in the day, accompanied by BJP Co-Incharge and Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, marking the formal start of the party's intensified poll preparations in Tamil Nadu. He was received at the airport by senior BJP leaders, including Union Minister of State L Murugan, who later said that the visit underlined the party leadership's seriousness about strengthening the BJP's presence and organisational base in the state.

Addressing the media, Tamilisai Soundararajan expressed confidence in the new leadership arrangement, recalling that Goyal had earlier served as the BJP's in-charge during the 2019 elections and was well-versed in Tamil Nadu politics and alliance management. She said the party was "energised and enthusiastic" about the road ahead.

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Reiterating the BJP's political objective, Soundararajan said the party's primary aim was to defeat the ruling DMK, accusing the state government of being "anti-people" and promoting "anti-Hindu" sentiments.

With alliance talks gaining momentum, the EPS-Goyal meeting is being closely watched as both the NDA and the DMK-led front accelerate preparations for a high-stakes electoral battle in Tamil Nadu.