VIJAYAWADA: The TDP seems to have expedited the process of identifying candidates for the ensuing Assembly and Lok Sabha elections. Besides taking forward the talks with the Jana Sena Party on seat sharing, the TDP leadership is said to be planning to finalize the candidates by the end of January.
Stating that several rounds of talks have already been held between TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu and JSP chief Pawan Kalyan on seat sharing, a senior leader informed TNIE that a final decision will be taken soon after the announcement of the joint manifesto.
The leadership of both parties is of the view that the announcement of the candidates early will give them ample time to go to the people, besides providing scope to sort out differences if any within the party on ticket allotment.
“Naidu has already given clarity to several candidates on party tickets when he held the constituency-wise reviews with the people in charge and observers before his arrest in the skill development case. However, as the TDP is now in alliance with the JSP, there is a possibility for some changes in some of the constituencies that are going to be allotted to the alliance partner,” another leader revealed.
Stating that all the factors like social and regional equations are being taken into consideration, he disclosed that the party is likely to field more candidates from the Backward Classes for the Lok Sabha, besides giving them a considerable number of seats in the Assembly elections.
When asked about the reports that several leaders from the YSRC are evincing interest to join the TDP bandwagon after they have been rejected tickets, the TDP leader felt that the chances of admitting such leaders are less.
Even if the TDP leadership admits some of them into the party, the chances of allotting tickets for them are bleak as it will send a different message that the party does not have capable leaders as they have already been rejected by the YSRC, he observed.
Revealing that the leadership is currently focusing on the finalization of the joint manifesto, he said apart from the schemes announced by the TDP in the name of ‘Super Six’, the full-fledged manifesto will have more sops for all sections.
The TDP is set to organize public meetings at Amaravati and Tirupati soon as part of its mass outreach programs. The joint manifesto of the TDP and JSP is likely to be announced at one of the public meetings in the presence of Naidu and Pawan Kalyan, another leader said.