1 month ago
The BJP, the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and the Jana Sena Party have announced their alliance for the upcoming Lok Sabha and Andhra Pradesh Assembly elections. The three parties sealed their alliance following a second round of talks involving their senior leaders on Saturday.
“Under the dynamic and visionary leadership of Honourable Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi Ji, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and the Jana Sena Party (JSP), being committed for the progress of country and the upliftment of state and people of Andhra Pradesh, have decided to contest the ensuing Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha elections together in Andhra Pradesh,” a joint statement said.
“Modi ji has been working tirelessly for the development and progress of the nation for the last 10 years and coming together with TDP and JSP will help in reaching the aspirations of the people of Andhra Pradesh… The modalities of seat sharing will be deliberated within a day or two,” it added.
The statement also emphasised on the “very old relationship” between the BJP and TDP. The former had joined the BJP-led Democratic Alliance (NDA) in 1996 and “has worked together successfully in Atal Ji’s and Narendra Modi Ji’s government”. In 2014, the TDP and the BJP fought the Lok Sabha elections and Assembly elections together.
On seat-sharing, TDP supremo and former chief minister Chandrababu Naidu told News18: “In principle, we have agreed politically to come together and work for the people of Andhra Pradesh. However, which party will get which seat will be figured out and announced in the next couple of days.”
BJP national president JP Nadda also made the alliance official on X (formerly Twitter). “I wholeheartedly welcome the decision of Shri @ncbn (Chandrababu Naidu) and Shri @PawanKalyan to join the NDA family,” the post said.
I wholeheartedly welcome the decision of Shri @ncbn and Shri @PawanKalyan to join the NDA family. Under the dynamic and visionary leadership of Hon. PM Shri @narendramodi ji, BJP, TDP, and JSP are committed to the progress of the country and the upliftment of the state and…— Jagat Prakash Nadda (Modi Ka Parivar) (@JPNadda) March 9, 2024
“History will record this alliance as a turning point, a necessity that positively transformed the State and the lives of the people of Andhra Pradesh,” Nara Lokesh, TDP leader and Naidu’s son, posted on X.
According to sources, the TDP has agreed to give six Lok Sabha seats to the BJP and two Lok Sabha seats to the Jana Sena. Apart from this, out of 175 Assembly seats, 30 may be given to the alliance partners by the TDP. Further division of these 30 seats will be decided between the BJP and the Jana Sena.
Sources also told News18 that the TDP is not too keen on giving up urban seats like Vijaywada and Vishakhapatnam to the BJP. The saffron party has been eyeing the urban seats to make an impact, but Naidu is said to have conveyed to the BJP leadership that TDP workers have been working on the ground for a long time and that candidates for the urban seats have already been identified.
Insiders suggest Pawan Kalyan’s party may get two Lok Sabha seats — Machilipatnam where it may field Balashowry Vallabbhaneni, who resigned as MP to switch over from the YSR Congress Party, and Kakinada, where Pawan Kalyan or his brother may try their luck.
The BJP may be given seats like Aruku, Rajahmundry, Hindupur, Tirupati, Rajampet and Narsapuram.
The TDP has two MPs in the current Lok Sabha. Rammohan Naidu from Srikakulam is likely to get a ticket from the same seat again. Guntur MP Jaidev Galla has already announced his decision to sit out the general elections. Apart from this, Lavu Sri Krishna Devarayalu, who recently joined the TDP after quitting the YSRCP, will contest from Narasaraopet.
The BJP is giving major emphasis to its preparations in south India to reach its goal of 400 seats in the Lok Sabha this time. So far, it has not had much luck in Andhra Pradesh. It had scored a duck in both 2014 and 2019 general elections.
With the alliance with TDP and Jana Sena, it now hoped to turn around its fortunes in the southern state. The Jana Sena, particularly, has significant influence in the Kapu community, which may help the alliance in the Godavari belt.
Pawan Kalyan’s party has been in alliance with the BJP and also had a separate alliance with the TDP in the state. The alliance with the TDP was announced by Pawan Kalyan when he met Naidu in jail last year.
Naidu’s association with the BJP is not new, but the two had parted ways in 2018 over the former’s demand for special status to Andhra Pradesh. In 2019, Jagan Mohan Reddy’s YSRCP swept both the Lok Sabha as well as Assembly elections, leaving Naidu out of power for five years.
The 74-year-old is now eyeing a comeback as Jagan Reddy’s policies add to the state’s debt burden and his alleged “vendetta politics” raises eyebrows.
