Patibandla Srinivas
Amaravati: The BJP high command has an idea over the considerable clout and popularity the TDP enjoys in the Andhra Pradesh politics.
The future prospects of the TDP in Andhra Pradesh politics is also crystal clear to them after the forthcoming elections.
That is why the BJP started arm-twisting technique to make the TDP fall in line with the alliance.
According to sources, the Centre has scrupulously collected grass root level information from the southern states during the last one year. The BJP’s national leadership has a mechanism to collect feedback from various quarters including its state party units.
Taking the information from grass root level, the BJP finally has taken a decision to go along with the TDP in the forthcoming elections. It is one of the reasons, the leadership of BJP raised its voice against the YSR Congress and the State government for the last couple of years.
Indeed, the Centre has extended good cooperation to the State government led by YS Jagan Mohan Reddy during the last five years. Though the voting pattern and ideology of both the parties is different, the Centre and State government extended support to each other under the cooperative federalism spirit.
A section of political circles believe that the BJP extended possible support intentionally to the YSR Congress with a political motive, now the political alliance clarified the changing mood of BJP’s leadership. Actually, at one point of time, the BJP national leadership wanted to contest alone or with Jana Sena support. But the Jana Sena has already entered an alliance in advance with TDP by taking ground level facts into consideration.
The BJP top leadership believes that the TDP has a fair chance to win in the forthcoming elections following the anti-incumbency especially in government employees, neutral voters, middle class and upper middleclass sections in the state. The TDP has had a strong traditional vote bank since 1983 though it faced many challenges.
Moreover, the leaders of AP BJP have explained the facts to national leadership. They categorically said that if the BJP is not aligned with TDP, the latter may go with any other party like Aam Aadmi in near future. They recalled that the BJP also enjoyed power in the state and at the Centre with TDP when they contested jointly.
The present election alliance will definitely benefit the BJP in many aspects, a senior BJP leader said. The alliance would make an impact in the other southern states especially Telugus who reside in Karnataka, Telangana, Odisha and others he said and pointed out that the BJP has taken ground level feedback in all aspects.
