Modi hell bent on tie up with Naidu - TeluguPeople.com News

New Delhi: As part of its 'Look South' mission to expand the alliance base, the Bharatiya Janata Party is actively exploring revival of tie-up with the Telugu Desam Party ahead of the general elections.

In collaboration with the TDP, the saffron party has conducted an internal survey in Andhra Pradesh to gauge public mood and assess the merits of forging alliance.

The survey revealed that the TDP has a support base of 16 to 18 per cent among the electorate while BJP's Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi (not BJP) has 8 per cent support.

Interestingly, the YSR Congress party has the support of 24-26 per cent in the State. Yet, the BJP central leadership feels that a pre-poll alliance with TDP would benefit both the parties.

The calculations of the party strategists are based on the assumption that the Telangana State would not become a reality before the 2014 general elections.

According to Naresh Gujral, the Akali Dal MP entrusted with the task of coalition building, Andhra Pradesh presented the most 'hopeful' picture for Modi as three of the four non-BJP parties in the State appeared to be positively disposed.

Apart from the TDP and the YSR Congress Party, the Telangana Rashtra Samithyi (TRS) is also favourably disposed towards BJP, he says.

TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu is said to be veering towards pre-poll tie-up with the BJP, rather than a post-poll alliance, as Modi has been rapidly gaining public support across the country.

Of late, he has been dropping enough hints about his possible return to the NDA as an ally of BJP. Naidu's shift in political stance is believed to be based on surveys suggesting a massive erosion of Congress' support base across the country and the rise of BJP under Modi's charismatic leadership.

Political observers say that the TDP supremo is keen on 'piggybacking' on BJP in the next elections in view of the growing popularity of Modi. He had shared the dais with Modi at a function organised by the Citizens for Accountable Governance in Delhi on October 2 and also at the swearing-in-ceremony of Shivraj Singh Chouhan in Bhopal early this month.

However, the State BJP unit is strongly opposed to any alliance with TDP, given its past experience. The resistance is particularly strong from the party's Telangana leaders. It remains to be seen how the BJP central leadership manages this contradiction.

Meanwhile, Naresh Gujral feels that the Ahmedabad court's clean chit to Modi in the post-Godhra riots case would force the 'secular' block of regional parties to review their position on alliance with the saffron party ahead of the general elections.

There is bound to be a softening of their approach towards NDA in the days to come. Gujral, who is the son of former Prime Minister late Inder Kumar Gujral, is known among political circles for his suave nature and persuasive skills.

He has proved to be a useful ally and a trouble-shooter whenever the BJP-Akali Dal alliance went through a turbulent phase. Gujral was the natural choice when the question arose about who would start negotiating with the non-NDA parties and leaders on behalf of Modi.

The soft-spoken and erudite Akali Dal leader not only enjoys friendly relations across parties but is also respected for carrying on the legacy of his illustrious father. Speaking to media, Gujral hinted Naveen Patnaik's Biju Janata Dal, Mamata Bannerjee's Trinamool Congress, Asom Gana Parsihad, AIADMK and Jaganmohan Reddy's YSR Congress Party.

Second, he said, it would solidify the resolve and strengthen the efforts of those party leaders who are already engaged in back-room talks with him or other BJP leaders.

Regarding leaders like Mamata Bannerjee and Naveen Patnaik, the BJP feels that these powerful State satraps would like to have good working relationship with the Centre once Modi moves to New Delhi.

Therefore, despite the concern over minority votes in their respective States, they would like to build bridges as the elections draw closer.