EPS Flies to Delhi Amid Seat-Sharing Deadlock in Tamil Nadu NDA Alliance

Amid ongoing uncertainty over seat-sharing arrangements in Tamil Nadu, Edappadi K. Palaniswami, General Secretary of All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, has left for New Delhi for crucial discussions.

The development comes as the National Democratic Alliance in Tamil Nadu is yet to finalize seat-sharing agreements ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections scheduled for April 23, as announced by the Election Commission of India.

While the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam has moved swiftly in concluding seat-sharing deals with its alliance partners, negotiations within the AIADMK-led NDA alliance have been facing delays.

The alliance currently includes parties such as the Bharatiya Janata Party, Pattali Makkal Katchi, and Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam. However, disagreements over the number of constituencies and preferred seats have slowed progress.

Reports suggest that AIADMK has offered around 29 constituencies to the BJP, but both parties are keen to contest in certain key constituencies, leading to a deadlock.

Meanwhile, BJP’s Tamil Nadu election in-charge Piyush Goyal had planned to visit Chennai, where a final agreement was expected to be signed. However, his visit has now been cancelled.

EPS is scheduled to meet Amit Shah in Delhi for high-level discussions. The meeting is expected to play a crucial role in finalizing the seat-sharing agreement, which may be signed as early as tomorrow.