The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has solidified seat-sharing agreements with the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) led by former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and actor Pawan Kalyan's Jana Sena, as per sources. This alliance encompasses both the upcoming Lok Sabha elections and the Assembly polls, with the BJP anticipated to contest six to eight Lok Sabha seats and 10-12 Assembly seats.
The Jana Sena, already a member of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), is likely to secure three Lok Sabha and 24 Assembly seats, leaving the remainder for the TDP.
In the previous elections, Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy's YSR Congress Party had emerged victorious, claiming 22 out of 25 Lok Sabha seats and 151 out of 175 Assembly segments. The BJP, contesting independently, failed to secure any seats. While aligning with state parties may not drastically alter the BJP's electoral outcome, it is expected to enhance its overall performance and contribute towards achieving Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'abki baar 400 paar' target.
Conversely, the Congress, also facing a defeat in the previous elections, has intensified the political landscape by enlisting the Chief Minister's sister, YS Sharmila, and appointing her to lead its state unit.
Senior TDP leader and Rajya Sabha MP K Ravindra Kumar provided an "in principle" confirmation of the alliance with the BJP, stating that the parties will collaborate moving forward.
This alliance follows extensive discussions between N Chandrababu Naidu and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, with BJP leader JP Nadda also participating. The second round of talks occurred in Delhi earlier in the day.
Previously, the TDP played a pivotal role in the BJP-led national alliance until 2018, when then Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu withdrew from the coalition citing unmet demands for special status. This move was perceived as a strategic maneuver by Mr Reddy, who capitalized on the split and the subsequent discord.