HYDERABAD: TDP president and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has made it clear that the yellow party is determined to make the Grand Alliance a viable alternative to the TRS in Telangana. He, in fact, directed leaders of TDP’s Telangana unit to be “accommodative” in sharing seats with the Congress during a party meeting at NTR Bhavan in Hyderabad on Monday.
The AP chief minister pacified TTDP leaders by promising to reward those unable to secure tickets in the future and said he would bargain hard with the grand old party for constituencies of the party’s choice, most of which fall in the Greater Hyderabad region. Naidu will campaign in Telangana ahead of the Assembly elections slated for December 7, TTDP chief L Ramana told Express.
“The Congress is ready to give us 12 seats. We will bargain for 6 to 8 more. Both the NDA at the Centre and the TRS government in Telangana are aiming at crushing the Opposition. The Grand Alliance is the need of the hour not just in Telangana, but also at the national level,” a TTDP leader quoted Naidu.
Congress is understood to have agreed to give Serilingampally, Kukatpally and Uppal to the TTDP, but Naidu has his eyes on constituencies in Greater Hyderabad and is vying for Jubilee Hills, Khairatabad, Ibrahimpatnam, Musheerabad and Rajendranagar among other constituencies. Besides its rural BC support base, the TTDP also enjoys a strong vote bank in Greater Hyderabad as the area has a considerable number of Andhras. The party won 10 MLA seats in Greater Hyderabad limits in the 2014 elections and its former ally BJP, 5 .
Of the 10 MLAs, all except R Krishnaiah who won from LB Nagar constituency, defected to the TRS. Party leaders are hopeful that the exodus may not have eroded its support base. Congress too seems to be considering Naidu’s request seriously.
Naidu is currently working on finalising a list of contestants and as per party sources, Anand Prasad, an entrepreneur with interests in cement and real estate, may be given the Serilingampally ticket and senior leader E Peddi Reddy may be allowed to contest from Kukatpally.
“The TDP has disciplined cadre and a loyal support base in Telangana. It is Chandrababu Naidu who transformed Hyderabad and developed Telangana. We have asked him to campaign in the Telangana elections and he has agreed. His campaign will definitely boost our prospects further” TTDP chief L Ramana told Express.