Realizing that his party has no chance of reviving in Andhra Pradesh, the Telugu Desam Party Chief N Chandrababu Naidu now appears to be eyeing for a larger role in national politics after the 2014 elections.
The twin factors of Telangana statehood and emergence of Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy as a dominant force have made TDP a marginal player in the changed dynamics of state politics.
Notwithstanding his public assertions that his party would capture power in the next Assembly elections, Naidu is more or less convinced that the ground realities do not favour his party.
Because of his flip flop on the Telangana issue, his party is fast losing its relevance both in the Telangana and in Seemandhra regions. His abrupt cancellation of "Telugu Atma Gourava" Yatra is a reflection of the party's realization that it has lost the plot.
Naidu, who once played the role of a King Maker in the United Front and NDA governments at the Centre, is now preparing himself for a larger role at the Centre and is actively considering the option of joining hands with the BJP, given the growing mass support for the saffron party's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi.
There are also reports that a powerful lobby, comprising a leading media baron and a key BJP leader at the national level, is pushing for an alliance between the TDP and BJP.
Naidu was reportedly offered a key post in the NDA if the latter comes to power at the Centre.
The TDP chief has been dropping subtle hints about the possibility of his party reviving the alliance with BJP. In the process, he will be dropping the left parties like hot potatoes.
The TDP had contested the 2009 elections in alliance with the left parties and TRS as part of "Maha Kootami". Now, the political pendulum of Naidu appears to have swung from Left to the Right.
