c pradeep kumar
The leaders and cadre of three main political parties are very eagerly waiting for the outcome of the alliance between the Opposition TDP-JSP and BJP for the ensuing elections in Andhra Pradesh. The BJP high command is likely to end the suspense on alliance in a day or two as the elections notification is likely to be announced in a week. The leaders who were aspiring for tickets in TDP-BJP and JSP are tense over the allotment of their desired MLA/MP seats and jumbling of chances due to possible poll alliance.
On Wednesday, BJP State unit president D Purandeswari left for New Delhi to discuss and finalise the alliance with the BJP national leaders. Sources say that for the 2024 elections, the BJP national leaders are likely to team with the old alliance partners TDP- JSP.
On the other hand, TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu and JSP chief Pawan Kalyan met at the Karakatta residence on Wednesday and discussed at length the alliance with the national party. Soon after the meeting was complete, the party leaders decided to fly to Delhi and meet the BJP national leaders like Union Home Minister Amit Shah and other leaders on Thursday and finalise the alliance part.
It can be recalled that the TDP-JSP alliance has been waiting for the nod from the BJP on alliance for a long time to face the 2024 elections to defeat the strong ruling YSRCP government in Andhra Pradesh.
A few days back the TDP-JSP alliance announced the list of 99 candidates for the general elections, while TDP announced 95, JSP only five out of 24 ACs. Interestingly the alliance parties did not announce the Lok Sabha seats as they are confident of alliance with BJP sooner or later.
In this backdrop the BJP national leader Siva Prasad visited AP and discussed various issues pertaining to the forthcoming elections along with alliance. He sought opinions of the BJP state leaders on alliance in writing, so that it will be discussed in Delhi with the BJP top leaders and take a decision on the alliance.
Sources from the BJP camp reveal that most of the leaders have expressed their positive consent for an alliance with TDP-JSP in the coming elections to win a few seats. The BJP that contested the 2019 elections was left with less than One percent vote share and lost deposits in many places. On the other hand during the previous elections TDP secured around 40 percent vote share while JSP around 6 percent. The poor voter share might be one of the reasons for the BJP state leaders for being positive on alliance.
However, the JSP is an alliance partner of the National Democratic alliance (NDA), though the BJP has the single largest majority to form the government, in Andhra Pradesh the regional parties play a crucial role. Even the Congress was confined to less than One percent vote share in the previous elections.
According to sources, TDP-JSP struck the deal with NDA and the muhurat is fixed for the alliance on March 9. Sources say that the TDP-JSP alliance is planning to allocate five parliament and nine Assembly segments to the BJP. And the seats are likely to allocate Araku, Rajahmundry, Narsapuram, Tirupati, Rajampet or Hindupur Lok Sabha seats to the BJP.
Guntur West, Visakhapatnam North, Jammalamadugu, Kaikaluru, Dharmavaram, Sri Kalahasti and Tirupati, Godavari and Anantapur districts are likely to have one MLA candidate. Sources say that in a day or two the announcement will be made officially.
