ChennaiJanuary 8, 2026 03:22 PM IST First published on: Jan 8, 2026 at 03:22 PM ISTIn a significant escalation in its negotiations with the AIADMK, the BJP has sought a formal power-sharing commitment in Tamil Nadu ahead of the Assembly elections, asking for Cabinet representation in the event of an alliance victory – a demand that goes well beyond seat-sharing and could stir the state’s political conventions.At a late-night meeting in Delhi on Wednesday, Union Home Minister Amit Shah pressed AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami, also known as EPS, to reserve at least three Cabinet berths for the BJP if the AIADMK-led NDA were to form the government in Tamil Nadu, according to top sources familiar with the discussion. The demand was made alongside the BJP’s proposal that the saffron party and its own allies together contest 56 of the state’s 234 Assembly seats.AdvertisementSenior AIADMK leaders described the power-sharing proposal as unprecedented, and said Palaniswami did not commit to it during the meeting, instead telling Shah that the issue would require consultation within the party. A senior AIADMK leader said Palaniswami told Shah that even signalling such an arrangement could prove electorally damaging, that the people of the state would not accept it, and that it would reinforce rivals’ claims that an AIADMK victory would amount to BJP rule in Tamil Nadu.The BJP leadership also pressed for a seat-sharing arrangement that would allot the 56 Assembly seats to be distributed by the saffron party among its allies, sources said, including factions led by AIADMK rebel leaders O Panneerselvam and T T V Dhinakaran. These allies include smaller outfits such as Puthiya Tamilagam and other parties which used to be a part of the NDA earlier, including a share of seats earmarked for senior leader S Ramadoss’s splinter faction of the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK). Ramadoss’s son Anbumani, who heads the PMK, joined the AIADMK-led alliance on Wednesday.The BJP’s demand for an assurance of at least three Cabinet positions if the AIADMK-led NDA were to capture power is one that is rarely voiced so explicitly in Tamil Nadu politics. The senior AIADMK leader quoted earlier said, “(EPS) told Shah that even announcing such a promise before the elections will have a negative impact. I am told EPS even pointed to a recent speech by Chief Minister M K Stalin saying that an AIADMK victory would effectively hand control of Tamil Nadu to the BJP.”AdvertisementThe renewed effort to consolidate the NDA in Tamil Nadu began after Shah’s visit to Tiruchi earlier in the week, where he met local party leaders amid concerns that the alliance had been reduced to little more than a formal understanding between the AIADMK and BJP. In the days that followed, the BJP leadership began reaching out to estranged allies.A top BJP source said Dhinakaran had been asked to be in Delhi later this week, “maybe on Friday”, while Panneerselvam was also expected to receive an invitation. Both leaders had, in recent weeks, held exploratory talks with actor-politician Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) after announcing their exits from the NDA last year.There is also growing expectation within BJP circles that the late actor-politician Vijayakanth’s DMDK could re-enter the NDA fold. A DMDK meeting scheduled for January 9 is seen as the likely moment for an announcement, though DMDK leaders have been actively talking to the DMK in the past week for an assurance from the ruling alliance.most readPerhaps the most striking turn in the latest developments is the re-emergence of K Annamalai, the former BJP State president who had been silent during earlier phases of the alliance reset. Annamalai travelled back to Delhi with Shah after the Tiruchi visit and played a central role in briefing senior AIADMK leader S P Velumani during meetings on January 6.Velumani, considered the AIADMK’s second-in-command, briefed Palaniswami upon returning to Coimbatore, ahead of the latter’s Delhi trip. The meeting between Palaniswami and Shah, held at 10.30 pm on Wednesday and lasting about an hour, capped this sequence of behind-the-scenes manoeuvres.A senior BJP leader in Tamil Nadu said the party remained optimistic that by Pongal, falling on January 15, the NDA would present a broader, more unified front – one that brings back breakaway factions, restores internal balance, and signals that the alliance, though bruised, is far from broken. “We are rushing these talks to ensure that all allies are on board before Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Tamil Nadu by the end of this month,” the leader said.