BJP-TDP alliance almost finalised - TeluguPeople.com News

New Delhi: After a decade-long gap, Bharatiya Janata Party and the Telugu Desam Party are set to become allies again. The two parties are said to have almost finalized the contours of their alliance for the coming Lok Sabha polls.

The tie-up is expected to be stitched up by this weekend and an announcement is likely either over the weekend or early next week. Akali Dal MP and points man for the NDA's alliance Naresh Gujral confirmed that the negotiations between the two parties were in the final stages and an announcement could be expected 'in a couple of days'.

Gujral has been instrumental in the NDA's mission to win new allies ahead of the elections. He enjoys a unique position as a suave, secular face of the alliance. Being the son of late Prime Minister Inder Kumar Gujral, he is an acceptable face in the drawing rooms of leaders who avoid speaking to the saffron leadership directly.

Confirming that the declaration of alliance was just a matter of days, a senior central leader of the BJP said, 'the number of seats to be contested by each of the parties is still being worked out.' But it is clear that the BJP would contest more seats in Telangana while leaving a majority of seats to the TDP in Seemandhra.

TDP sources claimed that they were not willing to part with more than 10 seats from Telangana and Seemandhra put together. This however is being hotly contested by the saffron party.

Highly placed sources confirmed that contrary to media reports, a whopping majority of office bearers in the State unit of Andhra Pradesh had given their opinion in favour of an alliance with the TDP.

In fact, a senior Central leader handling the talks claimed, just two leaders of the State unit were apprehensive about the alliance. The reports were gathered by the party during the recent visit of party top boss Rajnath Singh and Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley to Hyderabad. This is a definite change from the earlier position of the State unit publicly opposing any truck with TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu.

The party strategists have claimed that the BJP-TDP alliance is a win-win proposition for both the parties as Naidu and his men would get a big boost in Seemandhra after tying up with Narendra Modi's campaign.

On the other hand, the BJP might increase its vote share substantially in Telangana when the BJP's national profile and Modi's charisma is added to the organisational strength of the TDP in the State.

After losing power in the 2004 elections, TDP ended its seven-year long alliance with BJP. In its "Minority Declaration" adopted last year, the regional party had assured minorities that it would never have any tie-up with the saffron party.

However, the changed political dynamics, in the wake of the bifurcation of the State and the emergence of YSR Congress Party as a formidable political force in Seemandhra, appear to have prompted a shift in the party's position.