Will TDP Forge Pre-poll Alliance with AP Congress?

Amaravati: Will TDP and Congress join hands in the upcoming Andhra Pradesh elections? We have seen that the TDP burst into celebrations after the Congress stormed to power in recent assembly elections in Telangana. Meanwhile, BJP leaders are claiming that the TDP may soon join the INDIA bloc - a political alliance of 28 political parties led by Congress. The TDP is in a fix as it’s entered into an electoral agreement with the Jana Sena in Andhra Pradesh which is an ally of BJP-led NDA at the Centre. 

Chandrababu Naidu is seemingly desperate to enter into an alliance with the BJP in Andhra Pradesh. He’s been pushing through Pawan Kalyan's party to join hands with the BJP, however, the Union Ministers of BJP have repeatedly stated they have a pact with Janasena only. Undeterred, Naidu resorts to various political maneuvers to woo the BJP closer.

When the political parties were busy campaigning for recently concluded Telangana assembly elections, the TDP leader Nandamuri Balayya had pledged to showcase the party's might in the elections. Soon, the Telangana TDP president Kasani Gyaneshwar announced that his party will contest all 119 constituencies. The party supremo Naidu, who was lodged at Rajahmundry central prison in a skill development scam case, conveyed to Kasani that the party has decided to stay away from the Telangana elections. 

Disappointed with Naidu’s decision, Kasani resigned from the party and joined BRS. In the Telangana assembly polls, the BJP contested the elections with Jana Sena. The TDP chose to skip the polls as it wanted to see the KCR party bite the dust in the elections. The TDP leaders in Telangana supported the Congress in the elections because the BRS party and former chief minister KCR failed to condemn the arrest of Naidu in the corruption case in Andhra Pradesh. 

The BRS won from the assembly segments where Seemandhra voters were in majority while Congress failed to win a single seat. However, the grand old party made huge gains in district and rural areas of Telangana. The TDP flags were seen at the victory rally of Congress led by the state party chief Revanth Reddy on the day of counting of votes in Telangana. The display of TDP flags in the rally puzzled many Congress leaders. 

There is no surprising element in the bonhomie between Congress and TDP as both the parties  contested the 2018 assembly elections in Telangana together, however, the voters realised their opportunistic alliance and rejected both the parties. According to the political analysts, if these parties attempt this tried and tested formula in the forthcoming Andhra Pradesh elections then the people will teach them a lesson. 

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