Concerns over the BJP’s partnership with the TDP-Jana Sena remain

There is still uncertainty around the Bharatiya Janata Party’s decision to join the Telugu Desam Party-Jana Sena Party coalition in order to contest the elections jointly, even though there are only a few weeks before the calendar for the Lok Sabha and Andhra Pradesh state assembly elections is announced.

The Jana Sena Party, led by well-known Tollywood actor Pawan Kalyan, and the TDP, led by former chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu, had formally formed an alliance in September of last year. Both parties are hopeful that the BJP will join them, but the BJP national leadership has not yet provided an update.

On February 8, Naidu met with Union Home Minister and prominent BJP leader Amit Shah late at night in New Delhi, sparking rumors that they had reached an agreement on the coalition. Naidu had received a formal invitation from Shah to rejoin the National Democratic Alliance, and he had accepted the offer in theory. Thus, the partnership is essentially finalized, TDP spokesperson N Vijay Kumar said HT.

In addition to teleconferencing with thousands of party members, he added that the TDP chairman had also conducted conversations with the party leaders to inform them about the potential alliance with the BJP, in addition to the current agreement with the Jana Sena. Kumar said, “So, regarding the alliance with the BJP, we are very clear from our side.”

In the meanwhile, Pawan Kalyan said that he had asked and persuaded the BJP to become a part of the TDP-Jana Sena Party coalition in order to ensure that the anti-incumbency vote would not be divided. At Bhimavaram in the West Godavari district on Wednesday, Pawan told reporters, “I might go to New Delhi in a day or two to finalize the deal.”

But as of right now, the leaders of the BJP have not said whether or not their party would join the coalition, nor when. The party may decide to seek for an alliance with the TDP-Jana Sena at its two-day national convention, which wrapped up on Sunday in New Delhi. However, as of right now, Delhi has not issued a statement on the matter.

Following his attendance at the party’s national convention, BJP state president Daggubati Purandeshwari said, “The BJP national leadership is seized of the matter and it will take a call on the alliances.”

On Thursday, Somu Veerraju, the former president of the Andhra BJP, informed reporters that the decision about the BJP’s alliance with the TDP and Jana Sena Party will be made within the next two to three days. He said, “There are signs that all three parties will run together in the upcoming elections.”

Under the condition of anonymity, a prominent BJP leader from Rayalaseema said that many party officials in the state were opposed to collaborating with the TDP, which had twice turned its back on the NDA: first in 2004 and again in 2018.

In particular, Naidu made scathing remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi after leaving the NDA in March 2018 and even teamed up with the Congress to overthrow the NDA administration. He is now attempting to rejoin the NDA. The most untrustworthy companion is him. It is even known to Modi,” the BJP leader said.

It’s interesting to note that Pawan Kalyan acknowledged the BJP national leadership’s lack of enthusiasm for a partnership with the TDP. He told the reporters, “I had to face the wrath of many top BJP leaders when I suggested to form an alliance with the TDP and BJP with the goal of averting an anti-establishment vote in Andhra.”

But he insisted that a three-party coalition was necessary to defeat the YSR Congress, which is headed by Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy. “I suggested the partnership in the state’s best interests, not for my own gain. With bowed heads, I begged the BJP leaders to work together, Pawan Kalyan said.

Although the TDP and the Jana Sena Party had essentially reached a seat-sharing arrangement, the party was still expecting the BJP’s answer about the partnership, according to a TDP spokeswoman. “We will soon release the list of candidates from our party. The BJP would send delegates to start the seat-sharing conversation if it decides to join the coalition, Kumar said.