Exclusive: TDP-BJP to contest together in Telangana?

Hyderabad: The meeting between Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Telugu Desam general secretary Nara Lokesh on Wednesday night triggered speculation over possible alliance between the two parties in Telangana.

Highly placed sources in BJP told Deccan Chronicle that the alliance would be certain and would be announced after release of N Chandrababu Naidu in a couple of days. “Before that minor issues like including Jana Sena in the alliance will be sorted out,” sources said adding that the seat sharing and identification of seats for the poll partners will be worked out.

Lokesh met Shah along with G Kishan Reddy and D Purandeswari. TD sources claimed that the union minister’s assurance that justice would prevail energised the TD cadre and gave hopes of some or the other reprieve from the ongoing onslaught of YSR Congress government in corruption cases.

A section of old guards in Telangana batted for TD alliance but their attempts were scuttled by Bandi Sanjay Kumar when he was at the helm. Several aspirants in HMDA area besides Kishan Reddy and Snajay himself were the first to condemn Naidu’s arrest. After flip flop BRS leadership also condemned his arrest. BRS working president K T Rama Rao however drew flak from TD sympathisers for curtailing protests in city. As damage control Minister T Harish Rao went on officially condemning Naidu arrest.

BJP leaders also argue that BRS can not invoke regional sentiment any longer after making forays into Maharashtra and AP. “Recently, KTR requested investors to set up shops in AP and offered to mediate with Jagan Mohan Reddy for land to these investors,” said a BJP leader.

Jana Sena which is part of NDA agreed to the Raj Dharma and withdrew from the GHMC polls and extended support to BJP candidates. According to sources BJP informed PK of providing a road map for Telangana also but didn’t materialise apparently due to differences of opinion between Bandi Sanjay and G Kishan Reddy.

Jana Sena has been trying its best forge a tripartite alliance with BJP and TDP in Andhra Pradesh and as a Jana Sena senior leader said the same could be done in Telangana also.

When contacted Nadendla Manohar said he was not aware of the developments post Lokesh and Shah meeting. While making party stand clear on entering poll fray in Telangana also, he said there was a need to recognise the raising voices in and around Hyderabad as reflected in massive protests in IT corridors and give them due recognition.

The YSR Congress upped its campaign in the social media against TD and its “opportunistic” politics by trending videos of Naidu and Lokesh going all out against Modi and Shah.

However there was no change in the official stand as orchestrated every time by its general secretary S Ramakrishna Reddy that his party will face electorate on its own and is least bothered about any other alliances being stitched out by the Opposition parties