Mood Set For Alliance: Threesome in Andhra

New Delhi: It is now official. The TDP-Jana Sena-BJP alliance in Andhra Pradesh has been finalized. (Hans India has been tracking and consistently breaking the news regarding the Andhra alliance in the making since February).

The BJP state unit which discussed the issue at length on Wednesday has decided to join hands with the TDP and re-induct TDP into the NDA. What now remains is only a formal announcement. On the invitation of the BJP, TDP national president N Chandrababu Naidu and JSP president Pawan Kalyan reached Delhi on Thursday evening and held talks with Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP national president J P Nadda. State BJP president D Purandeswari is also in Delhi.

Discussion regarding the alliance and seat adjustment has been on with the BJP for long between these three parties. Sources said at the last meeting with Naidu, the BJP had in principle agreed that the TDP would give about 35 Assembly seats to JSP and BJP combine while it would contest 140 seats. Similarly, it was also decided that the TDP will give four Lok Sabha seats to the BJP and three to Jana Sena. The TDP has offered Tirupati, Rajampet, Araku and Narsapuram to the BJP. The BJP has also asked for the Visakhapatnam Lok Sabha seat but the TDP refused to cede the same. Jana Sena would be contesting from Anakapalli, Kakinada and Machilipatnam Lok Sabha seats.

The stand of TDP and Jana Sena is that in 2014 when Modi wave was very strong in AP, the BJP was given 24 Assembly and 3 Lok Sabha seats but it had won only 4 Assembly seats and two Lok Sabha. Since the aim of the alliance is to make AP YSRCP-mukt, the TDP-JSP will explain that it would be necessary for the alliance partners to contest only in those seats where the striking and winning rate would be high. Another important aspect is that this time there is anger among the people against the BJP as well and that needs to be erased.

Hence taking more seats would be a loss for the BJP and the alliance.

Pawan Kalyan is of the view that Amit Shah should make a public statement before March 17 when the poll notification is likely to be announced stating that it would take up responsibility for the construction of Amaravati as capital, completion of the Polavaram project and not to go in for disinvestment of Visakhapatnam Steel Plant.