Thursday, Apr 17, 2014

Hyderabad: Even as BJP’s Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi was all set to undertake a whirlwind one-day tour of Telangana on April 22, in Seemandhra the TDP-BJP tie-up has run into trouble.

Reliable sources in TDP said that party supremo N Chandrababu Naidu was regretting the alliance and was having second thoughts.

Naidu was upset with what the TDP leaders describe “wrong and weak choice” of candidates in the Lok Sabha and assembly constituencies left for the BJP. At the same time the continuing trouble within his own party over the seats given to the BJP was also forcing Naidu to think in terms of ending the alliance in Seemandhra region.

Sources said that Naidu was unhappy with the decision of the BJP to field his sister-in-law D Purandeswari from Rajampet Lok Sabha constituency in Kadapa district despite his not “so secret opposition”.

Similarly Naidu was also unhappy with BJP’s choice for Narsapuram Lok Sabha constituency in West Godavari district. The saffron party here has nominated Gokaraju Ranga Raju, while Naidu was in favour of another BJP leader Raghurama Krishnam Raju. Sources said that BJP chose Ranga Raju at the behest of the RSS leadership.

As the TDP leaders approached the media to let Naidu’s unhappiness be known, it was also being seen as an attempt to pressurise BJP in changing some of the candidates.

Naidu who was campaigning in the Godavari belt held talks with his own party leaders on the unfolding situation. He held a teleconference with the party leaders to get their feedback.

Old rivalry

Naidu’s opposition to Purandeswari’s nomination from Rajampet was linked to the differences with in the NTR family and the old rivalry between Naidu and Purandeswari’s husband Daggubati Venkateshwara Rao. (Both Naidu and Daggubati are sons-in-law of TDP founder NT Rama Rao).

Purandeswari herself was not happy on getting the ticket from Rajampet as she was interested in Visakhapatnam, the seat she had won in 2009 as Congress candidate. Her second choice was Vijayawada but the TDP refused to leave this seat to the BJP.

BJP fielded its Seemandhra unit president K Hari Babu from Visakhapatnam and was left only with Rajampet to offer her. TDP leaders feel that with Purandeswari as its candidate BJP had little chance of winning the seat specially when she is pitted against a six-time winner A Sai Pratap of Congress.

Naidu was also coming under pressure from within his own party to change some of the assembly seats given to the BJP as it was likely to affect the outcome of Lok Sabha elections.

The demands were being raised to change BJP’s constituencies such as Itchapuram (under Srikakulam Lok Sabha constituency), Narsaraopeta (under Narsaraopeta LS constituency), Nellore assembly constituency, Tadepallygudem and Guntakal by the respective Lok Sabha candidates of TDP.

They were worried that BJP’s weak assembly candidates will reduce their chances of victory.

Alarmed over the reports of Chandrababu Naidu’s rethinking on the alliance, BJP has rushed its trouble shooter Prakash Javdkar to Hyderabad and he was holding talks with the TDP intermediaries.

BJP’s senior leader and strategist for Andhra Pradesh M Venakaiah Naidu was also busy in firefighting. He told reporters in Bengaluru on Thursday that alliance was necessary for both the parties and should continue.

“Rethinking on alliance at this stage is not good,” he said. “Modi wave will be beneficial for both the parties,” he said.

Pawan Kalyan factor

Film star and founder of Jana Sena party Pawan Kalyan has also become a source of irritant for the alliance of the two parties as he was unhappy with the TDP for not giving Vijayawada Lok Sabha ticket to his friend and industrialist P Vara Prasad.

Source in JSP said that Pawan Kalyan was now thinking of fielding the industrialist and a few other candidates as independents in six to seven Lok Sabha constituencies.

This will automatically rule out the possibility of the film star campaigning for the TDP candidates in Seemandhra. The maverick actor was also thinking of campaigning for some other non-NDA candidates like Jayprakash Narayan of Lok Satta. Sources said that the star would tour Malkajgiri constituency to campaign for JP.

Lok Satta on its part has offered the actor its plank to field independent candidates of his choice.

On the whole what was once described as a “grand alliance” now appears to be in a shambles.

By Mohammed Siddique Correspondent

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