TDP, BJP, Jana Sena begin talks on seat sharing for Andhra Assembly, LS polls

Amaravati, March 11 (IANS) Leaders of the TDP, BJP and Jana Sena Party began crucial talks here on Monday to finalise their seat sharing arrangement for the forthcoming Assembly and Lok Sabha elections in Andhra Pradesh.

Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and BJP National Vice-President, Baijayant Jay Panda were holding talks with TDP chief, N Chandrababu Naidu and Jana Sena Party leader Pawan Kalyan at Naidu’s residence at Undavalli here.

Jana Sena Party’s Political Affairs Committee Chairman, Nadendla Manohar, the TDP’s Andhra Pradesh unit President, K Atchannaidu and others were also participating in the meeting.

The talks began days after the three parties agreed to have an electoral alliance. Following two rounds of talks with Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi last week, the TDP also decided to re-join the NDA at the invitation of the BJP.

The TDP and Jana Sena Party had declared their seat adjustment plan on February 24.

Chandrababu Naidu had agreed to leave 24 out of 175 Assembly seats and three out of 25 Lok Sabha seats for Pawan Kalyan’s party. The same day Naidu announced TDP candidates for 94 Assembly seats while Pawan Kalyan released the first list of five candidates of the Jana Sena Party for the Assembly polls.

A couple of hours before the talks began among the leaders of the three parties on Monday, the Jana Sena Party announced the sixth candidate, Kandula Durgesh for the Nidadavole Assembly constituency.

After the BJP decided to join the TDP and Jana Sena Party in the alliance, Naidu reportedly agreed to leave 30 Assembly and eight Lok Sabha seats for both the partners.

A final announcement about the number of seats each partner will contest is likely to be made in a day or two.

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