TDP to announce maximum candidates on March 14, says Chandrababu Naidu

AMARAVATHI: The Telugu Desam Party will be announcing its list of remaining 50 MLA candidates and 17 MP candidates for the upcoming elections.

TDP supremo N Chanfdrababu Naidu said here on Wednesday that maximum number of candidates would be announced tomorrow. The exercise to finalise candidates by the TDP had almost concluded.

The Jana Sena Party and the BJP had clarity on the places of their contest. They would also announce their candidates at an appropriate time.

The TDP had announced its first list of candidates at a press conference jointly held by Naidu and Pawan Kalyan. It was announced at the time that the Jana Sena Party would contest from 24 Assembly seats and three Lok Sabha seats.

Also Read: NDA seat-sharing in AP: TDP to contest 17 Lok Sabha, 144 Assembly; BJP 6 & 10; JSP 2 & 21

However, after the BJP entered the alliance and invited the TDP also into the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), the equations changed. After protracted negotiations, the three parties entered inti a poll truck where the TDP had agreed to give six Lok Sabha seats to the BJP and two to the JSP. This meant cutting down one seat to the JSP. Similarly, the JSP had to forego three Assembly seats from the allotted 24 and now it would contest from only 21 seats. The BJP would contest from 10 Assembly seats.

The troika will be fighting the YSR Congress, which would contest alone without any alliances, and the Congress that had entered into a poll truck with the Communist parties.

The Jana Sena is feeling heat of humiliation and resentment from its own cadres as the party had to cut the coat according to the proverbial cloth provided by the TDP. Among the Lok Sabha seats, the TDP would naturally be the big brother, followed by the BJP. While the Jana Sena would get the second highest number of seats to contest in the Assembly elections.

Also Read: BJP allotted six Lok Sabha, 10 Assembly seats in pact with TDP, JSP

As expected, all the three parties are facing internal dissensions owing to adjustments with other parties.

The disgruntled elements from the parties might not work for the victory of the official nominees of the NDA. This surely is a worrisome factor for the combine. Meanwhile, the minority votes and. Christian votes would en bloc to the YS Jagan’s party as they would not vote for a party like the TDP which is going in an alliance with the BJP.

The TDP is heavily banking on the anti-incumbency of the YSR Congress and the popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and fan following of Pawan Kalyan. Whether these three factors would work for the NDA or not has to be seen after the election outcome.