Chennai: Tamil Nadu BJP has drawn up a list of 50 assembly constituencies it considers favourable for the 2026 assembly election, based on the vote share secured by the saffron party in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. In addition, the BJP has identified 15 seats for minor partners of the NDA in the state, including T R Paarivendhar’s Indhiya Jananayaga Katchi and John Pandian’s Tamilaga Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (TMMK). In the 2021 assembly election, the BJP contested 20 seats in the state and won four. The list was submitted by state BJP president Nainar Nagenthran to Union home minister Amit Shah and BJP president J P Nadda. Negotiations are expected with AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami based on the list during Shah’s visit later this month. “Of the 50 assembly segments, 35 fall within parliamentary constituencies where the BJP crossed the 20% vote share in 2024 Lok Sabha election,” a senior BJP leader said. The BJP has factored in the votes garnered by T T V Dhinakaran and O Panneerselvam, who were part of the NDA in 2024. The remaining seats were identified based on caste equations and organisational growth after the 2024 parliamentary polls, the leader added. Elaborating on the list, a BJP leader said eight of the 50 seats were in Chennai, as the party aims to expand its footprint in the capital. The list includes Mylapore, T Nagar, Virugambakkam and Velachery, all falling under the Chennai South parliamentary constituency. In the 2024 election, BJP candidate Tamilisai Soundararajan polled about 27% of the votes there, pushing AIADMK to third place. Kanyakumari, a traditional stronghold, is another focus area. In the 2024 parliamentary election, BJP leader Pon Radhakrishnan finished second with a vote share of about 35%, while the AIADMK candidate slipped to fourth place. The BJP wants to contest Colachel, Killiyoor, Kanyakumari and Nagercoil assembly segments there. The party is also seeking three seats in Tirunelveli, the home turf of Nainar Nagenthran, where he won in 2021. In Coimbatore, another strong pocket, the BJP has identified six seats — Coimbatore North, Coimbatore South, Kavundampalayam, Palladam, Sulur and Singanallur. Former state BJP president K Annamalai polled close to 33% of the votes in the Coimbatore parliamentary constituency in 2024. Political analyst R Deepak said the AIADMK may be open to sharing seats in Chennai and Kanniyakumari, where the DMK-led alliance has dominated in 2024 and earlier elections. However, he said the opposition party may resist ceding a large chunk of seats in Coimbatore.
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