The BJP’s alliance with the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and the Pawan Kalyan-led Jana Sena Party (JSP) has been okayed in principle by the constituent parties, said TDP Rajya Sabha member K. Ravindra Kumar in New Delhi on Friday. This follows a late-night meeting on Thursday between TDP chief N. Chandrababu Naidu, Mr. Kalyan and BJP president J.P. Nadda as well as Union Home Minister Amit Shah in the Capital. The specifics of the deal are yet to be worked out and disclosed.
“In principle, the BJP, the TDP and the Jana Sena have decided to work together,” said Mr. Kumar.
Sources said the number of seats the BJP will get in such an alliance remains a sticking point. Andhra Pradesh has 25 Lok Sabha and 175 Assembly constituencies. Another round of meetings scheduled for Friday had not taken place till late evening, with Mr. Naidu camping out in New Delhi.
According to sources, the BJP has laid claim to six Lok Sabha seats in Andhra Pradesh, namely — Visakhapatnam, Rajahmundry, Narsapuram, Vijayawada, Tirupati and Rajampet. The TDP is reluctant to handover both Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada to the BJP. In Visakhapatnam, the sitting MP is Sri Bharat, the son-in-law of N. Balakrishna, co-brother of Mr. Naidu, whereas, Vijayawada is considered the political heartland of the State. Incidentally, Kesineni Chinni, younger brother of former TDP MP Kesineni Nani has been promised Vijayawada by the TDP.
“The TDP is willing to consider other seats, just not these particular ones, but the BJP is also playing hard ball during negotiations. However, the deal will work out since the TDP has tweeted the pictures of Mr. Naidu meeting with Mr. Nadda and Mr. Shah from the official “X” handle of the party,” said a senior source. There is anticipation that another late-night meeting will take place on Friday to seal the deal.
