As the alliance between the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Telugu Desam Party-Jana Sena Party combine has been finalised, it is only the announcement of candidates for 25 Lok Sabha seats and the remaining assembly seats left out that is pending.
The TDP leadership has leaked to the media that the BJP has agreed for five Lok Sabha seats and six assembly seats – which means a total number of 30 assembly seats and eight Lok Sabha seats have been allotted to the alliance partners – BJP and Jana Sena.
However, according to the latest reports, the BJP has asked for another Lok Sabha seat to accommodate state party president Daggubati Purandeshwari.
In fact, she was looking for a suitable constituency, but with the BJP national leadership agreeing for only five MP seats, her candidature was left in uncertaintly.
Apparently, she has put the pressure on the BJP national leadership to see that she, too, gets a constituency to contest the LS polls, as she wants to become a Union minister in the Narendra Modi cabinet.
Sources said the BJP asked for Eluru Lok Sabha seat for Purandeshwari. Since she played a key role in forging the alliance between the TDP and BJP, TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu had no option but to agree for the same.
Moreover, she also happens to be his sister-in-law, which is yet another reason for Naidu to concede the seat.
According to the latest reports, the six Lok Sabha seats where BJP will be contesting in Andhra Pradesh are: Eluru – Daggubati Purandeshwari; Anakapalle – C M Ramesh; Rajahmundry – Y S Chowdary alias Sujana Chowdary; Hindpur: V Satya Kumar; Rajampet – N Kiran Kumar Reddy and Araku – Kothapalli Geetha.
