It has been more than two weeks since Telugu Desam Party president and former Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu had been to New Delhi to hold discussions with the top Bharatiya Janata Party leadership on the alliance issue.
But so far, there has not been a word from the BJP. Though a decision was expected to be taken at the BJP national convention held last week, no such message has come from Delhi till date.
Yet, Jana Sena Party president and power star Pawan Kalyan is still nurturing hopes on the BJP joining the TDP-Jana Sena Party alliance.
He has been telling the party cadres that he might get a call from the BJP leadership any moment and he would have to go to Delhi to finalise the deal.
One of the reasons why Pawan Kalyan is strongly hoping for the BJP joining the alliance in AP is that he wants to see his elder brother Nagababu as the Union minister in the Narendra Modi cabinet after the next elections.
He believes that Nagababu will win the Lok Sabha elections and will become a minister in the Central cabinet. He reportedly disclosed his mind before the senior party leaders in Visakhapatnam, when he went there recently.
“If brother Nagababu wins the elections, he will certainly become the Union minister; and so, all the party leaders should put up strong efforts to see that he wins the Lok Sabha polls,” Pawan Kalyan reportedly told the party leaders and cadre.
Sources said Pawan Kalyan had started the exercise of mobilising adequate financial resources and manpower for the victory of Nagababu.
He entrusted this task to two brothers from Visakhapatnam and suggested them to mobilse funds from Kapu businessmen in the district.
According to an estimate, Nagababu requires at least Rs 70 crore to contest the elections from Anakapalle. Most of the donations for the same have to be mobilised from Visakhapatnam.
However, these two brothers are also seeking the party tickets for the assembly elections. If they are given the tickets, they said they would bear the entire expenditure for Nagababu in Anakapalle.
However, Pawan Kalyan may give the ticket to only one of them, as he is doing a virtual tight rope walking on striking the deal with the TDP.
He is asking for Pendurthi, Gajuwaka and Bheemili seats, but he is facing stiff resistance from the local TDP leaders, sources said.
