Shah-Naidu negotiations leave TDP vulnerable to an NDA comeback

NEW DELHI: Following “productive talks” between Chandrababu Naidu and top BJP officials, such as home minister Amit Shah and party president J P Nadda, Telugu Desam Party (TDP), one of the founding members of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), is amenable to a comeback.

According to TDP insiders, the BJP leadership has expressed that they would want to see Naidu’s party rejoin the NDA. This would greatly improve both parties’ chances in Andhra Pradesh, where state and Lok Sabha elections are scheduled for April and May of this year.
On Wednesday evening, Shah had received a visit from Naidu at his home. Nadda attended the conference as well. He arrived back in Hyderabad early on Thursday, and he would talk about the situation with his ally, Pawan Kalyan, the head of the Jana Sena Party, which is already a member of the NDA.
According to sources, given the promising start to their negotiations, the two Andhra Pradeshi leaders are expected to return to the nation’s capital to continue their discussions and formalize their alliance.
The sudden return of Nitish Kumar’s JD(U) would be a big advantage for the BJP-led coalition, since TDP has not been a part of the NDA since 2018.
“All NDA partners are invited to come back. Confirming talks with TDP, Akali Dal, and Jayant Chowdhary’s RLD, a BJP spokesperson said, “Talks with many of them are in an advanced stage.” The BJP is prepared to hand two Lok Sabha seats, including Baghpat, which is now held by its MP Satya Pal Singh, to RLD and may also give it a Rajya Sabha seat, according to sources who indicated the party may finalize a seat-sharing agreement with the RLD.
According to sources, the BJP is trying to make sure the NDA grows as large as possible in order to achieve PM Modi’s stated goal of 400 seats.