The Telugu Desam Party, led by Nara Chandrababu Naidu, withdrew from the NDA alliance just a few months before the 2019 polls. Nearly six years later, Naidu once again returned to the NDA fold, a move that surprised many. What is even more surprising is that the TDP-JSP alliance agreed to allocate 6 MPs and 10 assembly seats to the BJP, a party with negligible vote share in Andhra Pradesh. This decision came as a rude shock not only to political analysts but also to the cadres of both the TDP and JSP.
It is baffling for many as they struggle to analyze the reasons behind Naidu’s decision to give such importance to the BJP, especially considering that not much has changed in the state over the past five years, except for the improvement in Modi’s popularity nationwide. It is widely acknowledged that the BJP has made minimal contributions to the state’s development during this time. Issues such as Special Status, the Polavaram project, capital shifting, privatization of RINL, etc., have been largely ignored by the BJP, leading to increased dissatisfaction among the people with the central government.
Official numbers show that the BJP secured a meager voting percentage in the 2019 elections in AP, which was even less than NOTA. So, what prompted Naidu’s bold decision to ally with the BJP, despite the resurgence of the TDP in the past year?
Sources close to the TDP reveal that Naidu was desperate to reconcile with the BJP, despite not receiving any respect from them in the last five years, because he wanted to counter Jagan Mohan Reddy’s poll management tactics. It is well-known that Jagan is determined to win this term by any means necessary, knowing that if he retains power, it will be very difficult for the TDP to survive. Therefore, Jagan is expected to utilize all his power, money, resources, and other strategies to win the elections at any cost.
Naidu believed that he could thwart Jagan’s ambitions only with the backing of the central government. He aims to curb the free flow of money and the misuse of official machinery during elections by the YSRCP. Thus, he felt he had no choice but to reconcile ties with Modi.
Poll management will play a significant role in the upcoming assembly elections in Andhra Pradesh. If the BJP intervenes decisively against Jagan’s unethical practices, it could make it very difficult for him to return to power.
