TDP founder and former chief minister N T Rama Rao was the motivator for non- Congress parties coming together and forming an alternative front at national level. Due to his efforts only National Front was formed with several non- Congress parties and the second non- Congress government was formed with VP Singh as Prime Minister.
At that time, with over 30 Lok Sabha members, TDP played a crucial role in the national parties, being the major opposition party in the Lok Sabha. In the history of Indian Parliament, the only occasion that a regional party emerged as the main opposition party, as all the other national parties practically washed away in 1984 polls in the aftermath of the assassination of the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
Now, after BJP emerged as the unchallenged national party, spreading its influence to several parts of the country and where there is no recognised opposition party in the Lok Sabha, TDP slowly making a move in the national politics.
Though BJP is confident of returning to power for the third successive period with over 370 seats, somehow for the first time it is attempting to bank upon smaller and regional parties, to keep up its tempo. As a result, in the present elections it reached into alliance with several smaller parties.
Among the NDA’s partner parties, after the BJP, the TDP is contesting the highest number of seats. While, BJP is contesting in 450 seats, TDP is contesting in 17 seats. Among the NDA partners, after BJP and TDP, JD(U) will contest in 16 seats in Bihar, Shiv Sena led by Eknath Shinde in 13 seats in Maharashtra, PMK in 10 seats in Tamil Nadu and Shiromani Akali Dal in 9 seats in Punjab.
None of the other participating parties are contesting more than 5 seats. Chirag Paswan-led Lok Janashakti is contesting in 5 seats, Ajit Pawar-led NCP in 5 seats, Tamil Manila Congress, AMMK, RLD and Apna Dal in two seats each. There are many partner parties in NDA that compete for each seat.
