After TDP chief Naidu held talks with Amit Shah and JP Nadda on Wednesday, Jagan will likely meet senior BJP leaders during his visit.
Andhra Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy. (YS Jagan Mohan Reddy/ Facebook)
Amidst expectations of a likely tie-up between the TDP and the BJP ahead of the elections in Andhra Pradesh, Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy left for Delhi on Thursday, 8 February.
The chief minister is expected to meet senior BJP leaders during his visit. He departed from the Vijayawada airport at 5 pm on Thursday.
“The chief minister left for Delhi as per schedule,” a source told PTI. However, it is not known if the upcoming elections would figure in his talks with the BJP leaders.
Elections to the state Assembly and Lok Sabha would be held simultaneously in Andhra Pradesh, most likely in April-May.
TDP national president N Chandrababu Naidu held talks with Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP president JP Nadda on Wednesday. He returned to Andhra Pradesh on Thursday.
Naidu’s meeting with the two top BJP leaders sparked speculations of a possible alliance, with the TDP returning to the National Democratoc Alliance (NDA) fold.
According to sources, Naidu is keen on joining hands with the BJP and a section of the BJP leaders believes that an alliance with the TDP will help the NDA do well in the YSRCP-ruled state.
Naidu had earlier said in 2022 that the upcoming election would be his last.
Sources said the BJP is keen on striking an alliance with the TDP, depending on the number of seats the latter would offer to the national party. The BJP already has a tie-up with actor-politician Pawan Kalyan-led Jana Sena in the state.
It was learnt that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, too, has approved holding talks with the TDP, though he had been reluctant to welcome the regional party back into the NDA fold.
An alliance with the TDP might help the BJP win a section of minority votes in Andhra Pradesh.
Both had fought the 2014 polls together before Telangana was formed. The BJP had then won three out of the 42 seats in the united state.
Following Telangana’s creation, Andhra Pradesh has 25 seats and the BJP is keen to contest on anywhere between six to eight seats, sources said.
The TDP had walked out of the NDA in 2018 but suffered a major setback in the 2019 polls when it could win only three Lok Sabha seats and lost power in the state to the YSRCP, which has mostly supported the government led by Prime Minister Modi on key issues for the past five years.
However, political equations have prompted the BJP to explore the possibility of reviving its ties with the TDP, which has been pursuing the matter in earnest for long.
The Jana Sena, meanwhile, has already decided to join hands with the TDP.
(With PTI inputs)
May 14, 2024
May 13, 2024
May 13, 2024
May 13, 2024
May 13, 2024
May 12, 2024
