YSRC confident of taking on TD, JS to reach 175 target in next polls

VIJAYAWADA: While the YSRC has taken note of the reports about Jana Sena leader Pawan Kalyan and Telugu Desam chief Chandrababu Naidu discussing a poll alliance, the ruling party led by Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy is confidently getting set to face any coalition of the rival parties in AP.

YSRC leaders say that the “huge success” of Jagan Reddy’s mass contact programmes like Jagananne Maa Bhavishyatthu and Gadapa Gadapaku Mana Prabhutvam have instilled confidence among YSR Congress rank and file vis-a-vis facing the Big Battle 2024 with the “Why Not 175” target.

 Chandrababu and Pawan conducted talks for 45 minutes at the residence of the former in Hyderabad on Saturday but the two remained tight-lipped about the outcome. Jana Sena political affairs committee chairman Nadendla Manohar clarified on Sunday that it was necessary for parties opposing the YSRC policies to come together.

“A ‘YSRC-free Andhra Pradesh’ is our policy and slogan and this formed the base of the discussions between Pawan and Chandrababu yesterday,” he said.

Hinting about the possibility of a poll alliance between the JS and TD, Manohar said there would be further discussions and Jana Sena was taking steps with proper planning and strategy to win the elections and grab power in the state.

Notably, after the 2019 elections, the first meeting of Naidu and Pawan was held on 18 October 2022 in a star hotel in Vijayawada. The duo addressed the media after the meeting.

The second meeting was held on 8 January 2023. Pawan went to the house of Naidu in Hyderabad and later announced the decision that they would together fight against the Jagan government.

Interestingly, Pawan and Naidu did not disclose any details after the present meeting. According to sources, Pawan is seeking a power-sharing between his party and the TD for the next five years. Under this, he wants the CM post for two and half years and hopes to have 60 MLAs for him under an alliance arrangement.

It is noted that Naidu was desperately longing for a poll alliance with the Jana Sena. But, after the winning of MLC seats related to 108 assembly segments, Chandrababu and TD leaders changed their mind and were confident about TD winning the coming assembly polls on its own. So, Lokesh and Naidu stopped mentioning Pawan’s name in their Yuvagalam Padayatra and Badude Badudu road shows.

Pawan, on his part, arduously tried to persuade the BJP high command to have an alliance of BJP, TD and JS in the state, but the BJP did not show any interest in this. It wanted to strengthen on its own in AP in due course of time.

Naidu and TD leaders are reluctant to give a promise of power-sharing with JS. They are ready to give 20 MLA seats to JS and one or two minister posts. TD is not inclined to share the CM post with JS.

Meanwhile, Naidu planned to re-craft a poll alliance with BJP and started appeasing the saffron high-command by supporting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP policies. JS felt the TD was sidelining it. This forced Pawan to go to Naidu’s house and hold talks. Soon, an election pact between them is likely, the sources said.

Former minister and senior YSRC MLA Perni Venkatramaiah alias Nani recalled that CM Jagan had clarified many times that the YSRC would face elections all alone and would face rivals’ political alliances on its own.

Minister Ambati Rambabu, government adviser Sajjala Ramakrishna, former minister Vellampalli Srinivasa and other leaders said the YSRC’s two mass campaign programmes proved that some 80 per cent of the people in AP backed the ruling party.