Telugu Desam Party president and former Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu has begun a fresh game in Telangana by holding a huge rally in Khammam a few days ago, generating a new lease of life in the party which has virtually become defunct in the state.
He is also planning to hold his next public meeting at Nizamabad, which also has a large number of Andhra settlers as is the case with Khammam.
In all probability, the Nizamabad meeting might be held in the second or third week of January.
Though the TDP doesn’t have much stakes in Telangana, the purpose of Naidu holding public meetings in different parts of the state is anybody’s guess.
Naidu is trying to prove to the Bharatiya Janata Party that the TDP still has a solid vote bank in Telangana and if both the parties can come to an understanding, it will be benefit the BJP to come to power in Telangana.
The YSR Congress party leaders have openly raised this issue, saying Naidu is wooing the BJP in Telangana so that he can seek the support of the saffron party in Andhra Pradesh in the next elections. Naidu also has not denied this allegation.
But now, it appears the BJP is not interested in this nexus with the TDP. Telangana state BJP president Bandi Sanjay reportedly made it clear to the party leaders and cadre at the training camp held a couple of days ago that there won’t be any understanding with the TDP in Telangana.
He told them that the BJP would go it alone in Telangana elections on its own strength. In fact, he reportedly expressed view that any alliance, direct or indirect, with the TDP would only turn negative for the saffron party.
“We have seen how the Congress lost heavily by joining hands with the TDP in 2018 assembly elections. Had there not been an alliance with the TDP, the Congress would have come to power then. Let us not repeat the same mistake this time,” Sanjay reportedly told the party cadres.
It is a virtual snub for Naidu, whose hopes of appeasing the BJP to get its support through a quid pro quo understanding have now been shattered.
