Is BJP set to seal alliance with TDP, JSP? Buzz grows as Naidu, Pawan Kalyan meet Amit Shah, Nadda

Amid indications that the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) is likely to join the BJP-led NDA, TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu met Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP chief J P Nadda on Thursday night to deliberate on the possibility of their tie-up for the upcoming simultaneous Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in Andhra Pradesh.

Sources said that actor-turned-politician Pawan Kalyan, the Jana Sena Party (JSP) chief, was also present at Naidu’s meeting with Shah as they discussed their proposed alliance and seat-sharing formula.

Naidu arrived in Delhi from Hyderabad earlier in the day, when TDP national spokesperson Jyothsna Tirunagar said he will meet Shah. “An announcement (on the alliance) is likely to be made in a day or two,” she told The Indian Express.

This is Naidu’s second visit to Delhi to meet the BJP top brass since last month. Andhra Pradesh BJP chief D Purnadeswari is already camping in the national capital.

“This (Naidu’s) visit will be to finalise the tie-up with the BJP, if possible. As there is not much time left for election notification, we want to get a clarity on the alliance,” TDP sources said.

TDP insiders said the party is ready to offer the BJP 5-6 Lok Sabha seats and about 15 Assembly seats. There are 175 Assembly constituencies and 25 Lok Sabha seats in Andhra Pradesh, where Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy-led YSRCP has been in power.

The TDP is already in alliance with the JSP. Recently, the TDP-JSP combine released their first list of 99 candidates for the Assembly polls. The JSP will contest from 24 Assembly seats and three Lok Sabha constituencies.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to make some announcements on the occasion of International Women’s Day on Friday.

In the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls, the ruling