Chennai/Madurai: Prime Minister Narendra Modi flew into Chennai late on Saturday to spend the night at the Lok Bhavan before Sunday’s mega rally in Madurai and a visit to Puduchery. 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 received the Prime Minister at the airport. Seat-sharing talks in the AIADMK-led National Democratic Alliance will commence only after Modi’s rally in Madurai, underscoring the political sequencing crafted by the alliance — public mobilisation first, negotiations next. Senior BJP leader Piyush Goyal signalled that the alliance’s electoral arithmetic will flow from the momentum generated on the ground. Alliance leaders T T V Dhinakaran (AMMK), Anbumani Ramadoss (PMK) and other minor partners are also scheduled to hold talks following the EPS-Goyal meeting scheduled in Madurai.Goyal described the AIADMK-BJP combine as a “family” and said, “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,” indicating that differences, if any, would be resolved in private. He said an NDA govt would restore “good governance, development, prosperity and respect for Tamil culture, Tamil language and Tamil people” to the state. Modi’s itinerary includes a visit to the Lord Murugan temple at Thiruparankundram. Criticising the ruling DMK, Goyal alleged that the lamp-lighting ceremony at the temple was earlier obstructed, hurting “Tamil pride and culture”.Goyal took a swipe at former chief minister O Panneerselvam for aligning with the DMK, remarking that political choices carry consequences. He accused OPS of straying from the ideals of the late J Jayalalithaa, and said the people would not overlook “backstabbing”.Behind the public posturing lies hard bargaining. A senior BJP functionary said the party is pressing for around 30 seats, 10 more than it contested in 2021. AIADMK leaders, on their part, are said to be firm on contesting no fewer than 170 seats, reflecting the party’s ambition to return to power independently while accommodating allies. There are indications that smaller partners may be encouraged to contest on AIADMK’s ‘two leaves’ symbol.
