BJP ‘in principle’ clears alliance with TD-JS

 VIJAYAWADA: The top leadership of BJP in Delhi has, in principle, cleared the formation of an alliance with the Telugu Desam-Jana Sena combine for the forthcoming Assembly and Lok Sabha elections in Andhra Pradesh.

Modalities are being worked out on how the three parties will share the total 175 Assembly and 25 Lok Sabha seats in the state. As a result, many of those who have already figured in the first TD-JS list of 99 nominees will face disappointment.

Sources say TD chief N. Chandrababu Naidu and JS president Pawan Kalyan are expected to meet Union home minister Amit Shah and BJP national president J.P. Nadda in Delhi again on Friday night or Saturday. The two top leaders from AP will continue to camp in Delhi till they tie up all lose ends.

Except for speculation in a section of media, neither top leaders of BJP nor Naidu and Pawan Kalyan have announced anything with regards to the number of seats they will be contesting.

BJP sources say Amit Shah is scheduled to visit Patna on Saturday. Thus, there is a chance that he will meet both Naidu and Pawan Kalyan before leaving Delhi.

On the other hand, AP BJP chief Daggubati Purandeswari has left Delhi and arrived in Hyderabad. She will reach Nellore on Saturday to attend a party programme to be addressed by former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.