Telugu Desam Party president N Chandrababu Naidu met Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP president J P Nadda on Wednesday night amid speculations of the parties joining together for an alliance in Andhra Pradesh for upcoming Assembly and Lok Sabha polls. The Lok Sabha and assembly elections will be held concurrently in Andhra Pradesh. Naidu met Shah at the home minister's residence, reportedly in the presence of Nadda.
If Naidu rejoins the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), he would become the second prominent regional leader to do so after Janata Dal (United) president and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's recent move.
According to sources, the TDP president and former Andhra Pradesh chief minister is eager to collaborate with the BJP. Some within the ruling party believe that forming an alliance with Naidu could bolster the NDA's prospects in the state, currently governed by the YSR Congress.
His inclusion in the NDA would likely augment the ruling alliance's strength, they noted, as per a report on PTI.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently expressed confidence in securing 370 seats for his party and surpassing the 400 mark for the NDA in the upcoming April-May elections for the 543-member House. Currently, the BJP lacks representation in the Lok Sabha from AP.
A senior BJP leader said his party is open to an alliance but it will all depend on how many seats the TDP, the main opposition party in the state, agrees to give it, especially for the Lok Sabha polls.