With just under seven months remaining until the Andhra Pradesh Assembly elections, actor-turned-politician and Jana Sena Party (JSP) leader, K Pawan Kalyan, announced on Thursday that his party would form an alliance with the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) to confront the ruling Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy-led YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) in the upcoming polls.
Following a meeting with TDP president and former chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu in Rajahmundry Central Jail, Kalyan expressed his hope that the BJP would also join forces with their alliance against the YSRCP. Naidu has been incarcerated by the state police due to his alleged involvement in a "scam," which the TDP has labeled as "political vendetta" supposedly orchestrated by Chief Minister Jagan.
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Andhra Pradesh's political landscape has become increasingly intense following Naidu's arrest as the state gears up for the synchronized state Assembly elections and Lok Sabha elections scheduled for April-May 2024.
“I have decided today that JSP and TDP will be together and we will contest (in the 2024 elections) together. We cannot fight YSRCP alone. I wanted the BJP to join me in this battle against the YSRCP. I am still hoping that BJP will join us. BJP has not taken a decision but I am still very hopeful,” Kalyan said, as reported by The Indian Express.
“Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy created this opportunity for me to meet Lokesh Naidu and Balakrishna. Andhra Pradesh cannot afford to have YSRCP as the ruling party. TDP and JSP will fight against it together,’’ Kalyan added.
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Naidu was apprehended by the state's Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in Nandyal during the early hours of last Saturday in connection with the purported multi-crore AP State Skill Development Corporation scandal that transpired during his government's tenure from 2014 to 2019. Following this, an Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) court in Vijayawada remanded Naidu to 14-day judicial custody on Sunday evening. Subsequently, he was transferred to Rajahmundry Central Jail, located 200 kilometers away from Vijayawada, as per the court's order.
On Wednesday, the Andhra Pradesh High Court postponed the hearing on Naidu's plea to September 19, in which he is seeking the dismissal of the First Information Report (FIR) filed against him in connection with this alleged misconduct. The high court has also instructed the CID to provide its response to the matter.
Kalyan, whose party is already a part of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), has been advocating for the formation of a "grand alliance" within the opposition against the Jagan Reddy administration for several months. He has consistently urged the BJP to join forces with the TDP-JSP alliance in this endeavor.
The TDP had severed ties with the NDA in 2018 just before the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, with then Chief Minister Naidu accusing the BJP-led central government of neglecting Andhra Pradesh and failing to grant it special category status.
Kalyan is of the belief that a grand alliance comprising the TDP, JSP, and BJP would have a competitive edge against the formidable YSRCP. While the BJP was initially hesitant about partnering with the TDP, it appears to have warmed up to Kalyan's proposal, although it has not made any firm commitments.
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On July 18, during an NDA meeting in New Delhi, the JSP chief once again advocated for this proposal. He held meetings with senior BJP leaders, including Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and urged them to consider bringing the TDP on board for the 2024 elections.
