NEW DELHI: The Telugu Desam Party (TDP), which quit the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in 2018 over the issue of special status for Andhra Pradesh, is in talks with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to rejoin the coalition ahead of the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in the state.
TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu met Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP president JP Nadda on Thursday night to discuss the possibility of an alliance. Actor-turned-politician Pawan Kalyan, whose Jana Sena Party (JSP) is already part of the NDA and has allied with the TDP in Andhra Pradesh, also attended the meeting.
Sources said both parties have agreed in principle to join hands, but the final decision depends on the seat-sharing arrangement. Andhra Pradesh has 25 Lok Sabha and 175 Assembly seats, and the BJP is keen on contesting eight to ten parliamentary constituencies. The BJP may settle for five to six Lok Sabha seats if an alliance materialises, with the JSP contesting three and the TDP retaining the rest.
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The BJP, which aims to win 370 seats on its own and 400 with allies in the Lok Sabha polls, sees partnering with regional parties as crucial for its success. The BJP has a weak presence in Andhra Pradesh and suffered a humiliating defeat in the last election in the state.
The TDP, on the other hand, hopes to benefit from the BJP’s organisational strength and the Centre’s support. The TDP chief, who was arrested in September last year in an alleged scam, is also looking for security from the ruling YSR Congress Party (YSRCP), which enjoys friendly relations with the BJP.
The JSP, which has already been allotted three Lok Sabha and 24 Assembly seats, played a key role in bringing the TDP and the BJP to the negotiation table. Kalyan, who is also eyeing a role in Telangana politics, believes that a good performance by the alliance in Andhra Pradesh will boost his party’s prospects in the neighbouring state.
