GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 9th March. Telugu Desam Party (TDP) president N Chandrababu Naidu and Jana Sena Party (JSP) chief Pawan Kalyan engaged in high-level discussions with Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi, igniting speculation of a strategic alliance between the three parties ahead of the impending Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in Andhra Pradesh.
The TDP, formerly a significant member of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) until 2018, is now contemplating the possibility of re-establishing ties with the BJP. The talks, held in the nation’s capital, centered on resolving crucial issues regarding seat allocation, with both parties signaling a readiness to collaborate, pending an official declaration expected in the coming days.
Sources familiar with the discussions indicate that the primary focus was on delineating seat-sharing arrangements. Under a potential alliance, the BJP could vie for six Lok Sabha seats, while the JSP, led by Pawan Kalyan, would contest two, leaving the remaining 17 Lok Sabha seats for the TDP. In the Assembly segment, out of Andhra Pradesh’s 175 seats, the BJP and the JSP have purportedly agreed to contest 30 parliamentary constituencies, although the BJP is lobbying for a larger share. Conversely, the TDP has firmly stated its intention to contest independently on 145 seats.
A significant point of contention in the negotiations revolves around the BJP’s insistence on securing critical constituencies, including Vizag, Vijayawada, Araku, Rajampet, Rajahmundry, Tirupati, and an additional location. The BJP’s ambitious target of securing 370 seats in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections has catalyzed efforts to expand the NDA, with alliances with regional parties deemed indispensable for achieving electoral success.
In addition to Andhra Pradesh, the BJP is reportedly considering a electoral pact with the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) led by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik in Odisha, underscoring the party’s strategic maneuvering ahead of the impending polls.
Comments are closed.