TDP-BJP-JSP meet decides to form coordination panel for aggressive poll campaign

The meeting noted that cadres of the three parties have not coalesced to the degree that the party leaders wanted them to. The leaders stressed that the workers should be made aware of the need to ensure the victory of alliance candidates by going beyond their individual preferences and whims.

Interview: Vizag NDA candidate Mathukumilli Sribharat on Jagan and Nara Lokesh

State-level coordination panel

The leaders wanted to invite Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP top leaders including Amit Shah, JP Nadda, and Rajnath Singh to spearhead election rallies in various regions of the state to further strengthen the NDA’s prospects.

Additionally, the three parties decided to constitute a state-level committee to better coordinate the campaign in the now-or-never polls. The leaders also doubled down on winning at least 160 Assembly and all 25 Lok Sabha seats.

The leaders also decided to expose the YSRCP’s election malpractices by alerting the Election Commission and the people. They wanted to put pressure on the poll panel to act on its complaints.

Campaign in Rajamahendravaram would be further strengthened to ensure Purandeswari’s win to the Lok Sabha. An adverse result would affect the image of both BJP and the alliance, the leaders noted.

More focus would be on booth-, village-, and mandal-level meetings for a better coordination among the NDA constituents.

Meanwhile, the TDP and BJP seemed to be heading towards a resolution on the logjam over Anaparthi and Narasapuram Assembly and Lok Sabha seats. Both parties were seeking to field their candidates in the two seats.

Also Read: Andhra CM Jagan Mohan Reddy injured in stone pelting

TDP wants Anaparthi back

At the meeting, the TDP suggested that it would take back Anaparthi, which has been allotted to the BJP.

It was learnt that Naidu told the BJP leaders he was under pressure to retain the seat. TDP workers in the constituency wanted the party to contest from Anaparthi, he said.

The TDP had named former MLA Nallamilli Ramakrishna Reddy as its candidate from Anaparthi, but later, as part of seat-sharing, allotted the seat to BJP.

Reddy has been insisting on contesting from Anaparthi on a TDP ticket.

In exchange for Anaparthi, the Naidu offered BJP Thamballapally in the Annamayya district. Though the BJP leaders agreed in principle to the proposal, they did not give any commitment. Indications were that they would convey their decision to Naidu after getting a formal clearance from the party national leadership.

The TDP also sought Narasapuram Lok Sabha seat so that it could field sitting MP Raghurama Krishna Raju.

According to sources, Naidu suggested the BJP to give up Narasapuram in exchange for the Undi Assembly seat. He even advised the BJP to field Srinivas Sarma, who the saffron party had announced for the Narasapuram Lok Sabha seat, from Undi.

Speaking to the media later, Purandeswari said the meeting’s focus was on ensuring better coordination among the three parties in taking the campaign forward.

She said minor irritants that had cropped up in seat-sharing exercise, like Anaparthi, would be sorted out. She expressed satisfaction over the the NDA’s campaign in the state.

(Edited by Majnu Babu).