VIJAYAWADA: TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu and Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan are likely to visit Delhi in a day or two to hold discussions with the BJP central leadership on alliance for the ensuing elections.
According to sources, as the BJP is planning to announce its first list of candidates in the first week of March, Naidu and Pawan Kalyan will soon visit the national capital to strike a deal with the saffron party in Andhra Pradesh.
Though it is anticipated that the BJP will join the TDP-JSP combine following the talks between Naidu and Union Home Minister Amit Shah three weeks ago, there is no further progress.
In fact, the TDP and JSP delayed the announcement of their candidates for some days, expecting a call from the BJP leadership in Delhi. As there was no response from the saffron party, the TDP and JSP announced the first list of candidates.
Out of the total 175 Assembly seats, the JSP got 24 and the TDP announced candidates for 94 constituencies, and kept the remaining 57 seats pending. If the BJP joins the TDP-JSP combine, some seats will be allotted to it and the TDP will announce its candidates for the rest of the seats, TDP sources revealed.
Informing that the BJP is not particular on Assembly seats and seeking more Lok Sabha seats, a TDP leader said as three Lok Sabha segments were already given to the JSP, the TDP may offer four to five MP seats to the BJP from the remaining 22. But it is learnt that the BJP is asking for more than seven seats.
Against such a backdrop, the talks did not proceed further, the TDP sources said, adding that the issue will be settled after the visit of Naidu and Pawan Kalyan to Delhi. “We hope that an alliance will be reached with the BJP at the earliest as elections are approaching fast,” another TDP leader said.