Piyush Goyal Cancels Chennai Visit as Seat-Sharing Talks Continue
Union Minister Piyush Goyal has cancelled his planned visit to Chennai today, where he was expected to take part in key discussions to finalize the seat-sharing agreement between the AIADMK and the BJP.
Earlier, AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami had expressed confidence that the seat-sharing arrangement would be wrapped up within four days. Piyush Goyal had also indicated that he would be in Chennai for the talks, making the sudden cancellation noteworthy.
With the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections set for April 23, the AIADMK-led alliance currently includes the BJP, PMK, AMMK, and TMC. However, the final seat-sharing formula among these parties is still being worked out.
In the middle of these discussions, Palaniswami travelled to Delhi on March 19 and met Union Minister Amit Shah. Their meeting lasted for about one and a half hours.
After returning to Chennai, Palaniswami said that the alliance’s seat-sharing deal would be finalized soon. Shortly after his visit, AMMK General Secretary T. T. V. Dhinakaran also left for Delhi, suggesting that talks are continuing at the top level.
