The upcoming 2026 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election will be a close contest between two strong fronts and not a one-sided battle like the 2024 Indian General Election, according to veteran Congress leader and former Union Minister P. Chidambaram. In an interview with The Hindu at his Pycrofts Garden Road residence in Chennai on Friday (March 27, 2026), he also disagreed with the broad proposition of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) that the people of Tamil Nadu will never agree to a coalition government. Excerpts:

TN elections will be a close battle: Chidambaram