In the final stretch of negotiations for the April 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, AIADMK chief Edappadi K. Palaniswami (EPS) has demonstrated that while the alliance may have been coordinated in Delhi, the “map was drawn in Chennai.”
Despite pressure from the BJP central leadership, EPS successfully retained command over seat allocation, forcing allies into “difficult terrains” while protecting the AIADMK’s core strongholds.
The Arithmetic of the Deal
The AIADMK-led NDA finalized a pact for all 234 Assembly constituencies, with the lion’s share staying with the lead party.
| Party | Seats Allotted | Role/Status |
| AIADMK | 169 | Lead partner; focused on the Western belt. |
| BJP | 27 | Increased count from last time, but denied preferred seats. |
| PMK | 18 | Lower than previous tallies; hit by internal factionalism. |
| AMMK | 11 | Led by TTV Dhinakaran. |
| Others | 9 | Shared among TMC (M), IJK, TMMK, and Puratchi Bharatham. |
Key Power Moves by EPS
1. The Annamalai Snub
The most significant point of friction was the denial of seats requested for former BJP state chief K. Annamalai.
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Coimbatore Block: The BJP sought Singanallur (where Annamalai showed strength in 2024), Sulur, and Kavundampalayam. EPS rejected all three, allotting only Coimbatore North to the BJP.
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Chennai Limit: The BJP requested at least three seats in the capital but was restricted to just one (Mylapore).
2. “Electorally Demanding” Allocations
Allies have reportedly been pushed into constituencies where the AIADMK’s own prospects were slim, effectively distributing the “electoral risk”:
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TMC (Moopanar): All 5 allotted seats are currently held by heavyweights from the DMK or Congress.
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PMK’s Perambur Challenge: EPS allotted the Perambur seat—a constituency actor Vijay is rumored to be eyeing—to the PMK, framing it as “equal treatment” while offloading a high-stakes battle.
3. Resisting “Special Requests” from Delhi
Insiders reveal that even direct requests from the BJP leadership in Delhi for specific senior leaders were turned down. An AIADMK former minister noted that while the alliance was “inevitable,” the terms were not “surrendered.”
Strategy: Rebuilding the AIADMK
For EPS, this rigid stance is a survival tactic. Following a disastrous 2024 Lok Sabha campaign where the party failed to win a single seat, he is focused on:
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Consolidating the Western Region: Keeping the most “winnable” seats for AIADMK candidates.
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Asserting Command: Re-establishing himself as the undisputed leader of the Dravidian major after years of internal power struggles.
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Urban Risk Mitigation: Offloading the difficult Chennai-Kancheepuram-Tiruvallur belt, where the party has recently struggled, to the allies.
