Speculations on rife over TD-JS-BJP alliance for 2024 polls in AP

Vijayawada: Speculations are rife on an alliance between the Telugu Desam, Jana Sena and BJP in Andhra Pradesh for the 2024 general elections, as had happened for the 2014 polls. The alliance is likely to be forged by the Sankranti festival season.

According to sources, the BJP high command is seized of the matter and a final decision would be taken after reviewing the reports it gets from the state party. Social media platforms are full with the rumours of the three parties joining hands to defeat the ruling YSRC.

TD general secretary Nara Lokesh stated on Friday, without mentioning the BJP, that matters of alliance and seats adjustments would be finalized by Sankranti. “We have clarity on the TD-Jana Sena seats,” he said.

State BJP president Daggubati Purandeswari said all decisions regarding the 2024 poll alliance would be taken by the high command.

Notably, the TD-BJP-JS alliance worked well in 2014, helping Nara Chandrababu Naidu to grab power. Naidu fell out with the BJP and PM Modi later.

For the past two years, Naidu has been arduously working to restore the Telugu Desam’s ties with the BJP. The general elections are expected in the next three or four months.

JS chief Pawan Kalyan is strongly pleading the case of a three-party alliance. The JS is already a partner of the BJP-led NDA. However, he unconditionally announced a poll alliance with the TD when Naidu was in prison over the AP Skill Development scam.

Pawan is working overtime to get the BJP into the JS-TD alliance, as he feels this is the only way to trounce the YSRC. Pawan would be in Delhi in January to meet BJP leaders and press his proposal.

Sources said the Congress is planning to defeat the BJP via the INDIA alliance, by uniting all the opposition parties. The BJP high command has assigned the responsibility of collecting opinion on alliance chances in AP to three BJP national leaders. They have completed their surveys.

According to reliable sources, a majority of the state BJP leaders have suggested a saffron tie-up with the TD-Jana Sena. This report has been handed over to the PM’s office too. The final decision will be known after discussions in the BJP parliamentary board.

In view of the finalization of the YSR Congress candidates list in a day or two, the BJP is likely to take the final decision on its alliance plans in AP by Sankranti. Information is that the BJP is asking for six Lok Sabha and 20 assembly seats where it has a chance of win.