(Image source from: Twitter.com/JaiTDP)
AP Alliance: Seat Sharing nears Finalization:- The alliance between the Telugu Desam, Jana Sena, and the Bharatiya Janata Party in Andhra Pradesh is steadily progressing towards realization, as agreement is reached on seat-sharing and the two smaller partners defer the final decision to the larger party. While the leaders of the AP BJP initially proposed 10 Lok Sabha and 20 Assembly seats, the party's Central leadership has informed N. Chandrababu Naidu, the TD chief, that they are more concerned with securing seats where their chances of winning are high, rather than insisting on specific numbers. After the national convention on Sunday, the BJP Central leadership is expected to hold further discussions with the state party leaders, and the formal announcement will be made following the party Parliamentary Board meeting on Monday. Dr Vinusha Reddy, the spokesperson for the AP BJP, confirmed that the party's highest decision-making body will make a decision within the next day or two, and notably did not rule out an alliance with the TD. She emphasized that the TD was able to win in 1999 and 2014 due to the support of the BJP voters.
In order to gain an advantage, TD is once again seeking support from the BJP. "The BJP is highly sought after in AP, and both TD and YSRC have been making efforts to gain favor with our party," she stated. According to sources, the BJP will be given the Araku seat, which is reserved for Scheduled Tribes communities, as well as the Tirupati seat, which is reserved for Scheduled Castes communities. Additionally, it is likely that former chief minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy will contest from the Rajampet seat. While it is unclear which Lok Sabha seat she will contest from, the Central leadership is interested in fielding AP state president D. Purandeswari. Four other BJP leaders - K. Raghurama Krishnam Raju (Narsapur), Y.S. Chowdary (Eluru/Vijayawada), Satya Kumar (Anantapur), and Swami Swaroopananda (Hindupur) - are reportedly vying for the fifth seat.
