The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and Jana Sena Party (JSP) combine is gearing up to organise a massive public meeting in Tirupati soon, with respective party chiefs N. Chandrababu Naidu and Pawan Kalyan expected to address the meeting.
According to sources, Mr. Naidu and Mr. Kalyan will announce the joint manifesto for the upcoming Assembly elections in the State. Leaders of both parties would hold detailed discussions on issues and promises to be made in the common manifesto prior to the public meeting, sources said.
The two parties had already come up with a draft ‘mini-manifesto’, comprising 11 promises, in November after the first meeting of their six-member joint manifesto committee. The mini-manifesto is an amalgam of the TDP’s ‘Super Six schemes’ announced at its annual Mahanadu-2023 conclave, and five points suggested by the JSP on the basis of feedback received by party chief Pawan Kalyan during his public interactions.
Apart from the Super Six schemes announced by the TDP, the full-fledged manifesto will promise more sops for all sections. The TDP-JSP combine has drawn up plans to organise issue-based discussions with different sections of people before finalising the comprehensive manifesto.
While the combine will officially sound the poll bugle at the Tirupati meeting, it is expected that a joint meeting will also be held in Amaravati at a later date. As a step in that direction, both TDP and JSP cadres are keen on expediting the process of identifying candidates for the Assembly and Lok Sabha elections. The combine will iron out any differences over ticket allotment during these meetings, sources said.
A final decision will be taken soon after the announcement of the joint manifesto. “The TDP is in an upbeat mood following massive turnout of people for the public meeting held at Polipalli in Vizianagaram district to mark the conclusion of Nara Lokesh’s Yuva Galam padayatra. The TDP leaders are of the view that the Tirupati meeting should be organised on similar lines. The TDP-JSP meeting is likely to be organised before the Sankranti festival, and arrangements are being made, party sources said.
Meanwhile, Mr. Naidu will tour Chittoor district from December 28 to 30. He will address four public meetings, unveil a statue of Sri Kanakadasa, and will unveil his ‘Babu Surety Bhavishyathu Guarantee – Door to Door campaign’. He will also hold meetings with party leaders in Chittoor district.