If the reports coming from New Delhi are to be believed, the Bharatiya Janata Party may finally give its consent to join the Telugu Desam Party-Jana Sena Party combine in Andhra Pradesh for the ensuing assembly and Lok Sabha elections.
The party national leadership, which deliberated on the issue, during its two-day national executive committee meeting held last week, gathered the opinion of various leaders from the state.
Sources said majority of the BJP leaders from the state have suggested that it would be better to join hands with the TDP-Jana Sena Party alliance, rather than going it alone in the elections, as it would prove detrimental not only to the party, but also to the state interests.
The majority opinion has been referred to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his approval and he will make his own assessment on the pros and cons of the decision.
The task of analysing the benefits and losses of the the BJP joining the TDP-Jana Sena Party alliance will be entrusted to a panel of three national leaders.
“Once Modi takes a call based on the report, it would be referred to the BJP parliamentary board, which would come out with its decision in public,” sources said, adding that a final announcement is expected to be made by January 15, after Sankranti festival.
The BJP national leadership is planning to call Jana Sena Party president and power star Pawan Kalyan to New Delhi in the first week of January for negotiations. Both the parties would discuss about the seats to be contested by the BJP in the event of an alliance.
“The BJP is planning to ask for six Lok Sabha and 12 assembly seats, where they have fair chances of winning. It remains to be seen how many the TDP-Jana Sena Party combine would agree for,” sources said.
