TDP and BJP alliance in trouble again

In less than 24 hours of bringing in some semblance of order in the uneasy alliance between Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the former gave a shocker to the saffron party by fielding candidates in the last minute from four assembly segments which had been allotted to the BJP in Seemandhra.

Sources said TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu asked his party candidates to file nomination papers from Guntakal, Kaikalur, Kadapa and Santhanutalapadu assembly constituencies which had been left for the BJP in the seat-sharing agreement.

Nominations for the May 7 elections in Seemandhra region closed on Saturday, and the candidates Jitender Goud (Guntakal), Jaya Mangala Ramana (Kaikalur), Durga Prasad Rao (Kadapa) and B N Vijay Kumar (Santhanutalapadu) filed their papers in the last minute.

The development, which comes just ahead of BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi’s visit to Telangana on Tuesday, is bound to create problems in the fragile alliance which was strongly opposed by a section of leaders and cadres in both the parties. Naidu is expected to share the dais with Modi at a public meeting that is being projected as an National Democratic Alliance (NDA) affair in Hyderabad on April 22.

Earlier this week, the TDP chief had complained to the BJP central leadership about ‘weak’ candidates being fielded by the latter in Assembly segments that were part of Lok Sabha constituency where TDP had fielded candidates. The BJP leadership rushed Prakash Javadekar, in charge of party affairs in Andhra Pradesh, to Hyderabad to iron out the differences. After hectic and prolonged talks, the two parties agreed to some adjustments and declared that all was well with the alliance.

However, the latest move by Naidu is bound to have an impact on the alliance, and with just three days left for withdrawals, the BJP leadership is desperately trying to sort out the issue.

BJP’s Seemandhra unit president K Haribabu, confirming the presence of TDP candidates in the fray in the four constituencies, said: “We came to know that the TDP has given B-forms and asked a few candidates to file their papers. This is not proper. We will talk to the TDP leadership and ensure that all the candidates who had filed their nominations withdraw in favour of BJP candidates.”

Meanwhile, the Telangana BJP unit announced that Modi, who will arrive in Hyderabad on Tuesday, would be addressing public meetings in Nizamabad, Karimnagar and Mahabubnagar the same day. He will return to Hyderabad to address a public meeting in the evening.

Besides Modi, BJP president Rajnath Singh and senior leaders like Nitin Gadkari and Sushma Swaraj would also campaign for the party in Telangana, which goes to polls in the first phase on April 30.

While the party president will campaign in Nizamabad, Adilabad and Warangal on April 26, Sushma Swaraj will address public meetings in Warangal, Bhongir and Medak Parliamentary constituencies on April 25.

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