Naidu, Pawan Kalyan meet for two-and-a-half hours, still undecided on seat sharing

Beleaguered TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu, who walked out on bail in the Skill Development Scam, met Janasena party leader Pawan Kalyan on Sunday night to discuss a joint strategy for the 2024 Andhra Pradesh Assembly elections. Chandrababu went to Pawan Kalyan's house in Hyderabad.

The meeting between the former chief minister and the actor-politician lasted for two-and-a-half hours. Both the leaders discussed various issues related to election strategy including common manifesto and seat sharing for the elections, scheduled along with Lok Sabha polls next year. 

Pawan Kalyan had decided to join hands with the TDP for the coming elections during a meeting with Chandrababu Naidu on September 13 in Rajahmundry jail, where the TDP chief was lodged following his arrest in Andhra Pradesh Skill Development Corporation case.

Pawan took the decision despite being a part of BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA). There is still no word from BJP whether it will join TDP and JSP for the grand alliance. 

Both TDP and JSP have formed a coordination committee, which has so far held two rounds of talks to prepare a common manifesto.

Leaders of the two parties are likely to hold a few more rounds of talks to finalise seat sharing. An agreement to this effect is likely be finalised by Sankranti. Naidu had visited Pawan Kalyan’s residence in 2014 to seek his support for the TDP.

The JSP did not contest 2014 elections but the actor-politician campaigned for the TDP-BJP alliance.

Though the alliance came to power in Andhra Pradesh, Pawan Kalyan distanced himself from both parties for failing to fulfil the commitment to accord special category status to Andhra Pradesh.

Later, the TDP had also snapped ties with the BJP over the same issue. The JSP contested the 2019 elections in alliance with the BSP and the Left parties but the alliance suffered a humiliating defeat.

The JSP could win just one seat with Pawan Kalyan himself losing from both the seats he contested. YSRCP had wrested power from TDP with a landslide majority. The TDP bagged 23 seats in 175-member Assembly.