A look back at the four-decade-old TDP's electoral alliances and performance

Tirupati: The political landscape in Andhra Pradesh witnessed a significant development as actor-politician Pawan Kalyan's Jana Sena Party formalised an electoral alliance with the Telugu Desam (TD) on Thursday.

This alliance marks a crucial moment in the state's politics. This prompts a retrospective examination of TD's previous poll alliances and its performance in those collaborations.

The four-decade old Telugu Desam party, a prominent force in AP politics ever since its inception in 1982, has navigated the complex political terrain of the state through various electoral alliances. These alliances have had their own unique dynamics and outcomes.

One of the earliest alliances for the TD was in its first election in 1983. The party joined forces with the Sanjay Vichar Manch, headed by Maneka Gandhi. The Sanjay Vichar Manch was allocated only five assembly seats but it failed to win any, while the TD secured 201 seats, propelling the party founder leader, NT Rama Rao, to the chief minister post.

During this time, NTR expressed a willingness to accommodate all anti-Congress parties in the alliance. However, an alliance with the BJP and Left parties failed to materialise as NTR refused to allocate as many seats as were sought by these national parties.

In the 1985 elections, the TD formed an alliance with the Left Parties, wherein the Communists won 22 out of the contested 24 constituencies, while the TD secured 202 seats and returned to power. This electoral pact continued in the 1989 elections when the BJP also joined the alliance. However, the TD, BJP, and Left parties failed to replicate their previous success and the TD was relegated to the opposition as the Congress returned to power with 181 seats in the aftermath of the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi.

In the 1994 polls, the Telugu Desam aligned with the CPI and CPI(M), which contested from 37 assembly segments and won 34 seats. The TD secured 216 seats, allowing NTR to become the chief minister for the third time. However, an internal feud within the TD in 1995 led to Nara Chandrababu Naidu assuming the role of chief minister. NTR faced a revolt within his own party, which was masterminded by his son-in-law, Chandrababu Naidu.

 In the 1999 elections, the TD party, now led by Naidu, entered into a pre-poll pact with the BJP, which won 10 of the 24 seats it contested. The TD won 185 seats and Naidu assumed the role of chief minister for the second time. However, the TD faced a setback in 2004, losing power to YS Rajasekhara Reddy of the Congress. In this election, the BJP won only two seats, while the TD secured 47.