Telugu Desam Party led by Nara Chandra Babu Naidu pulled out of the NDA alliance barely a few months before the 2019 polls. Nearly after six years, Naidu once again returned to the NDA fold and this was a complete volte-face that came as a big surprise to many. What is more surprising is that the TDP – JSP alliance agreed to give away 6 MPs and 10 assembly seats. The unexpected quota of seats given to BJP, a party with negligible vote share in AP, came as a rude shock not just to political analysts but also to the cadres of both the TDP and JSP.
It is so baffling for everyone as they are unable to analyze the pressing reasons that prompted Naidu to give such importance to the BJP as nothing much has changed in the state over the past five years except for the fact that Modi’s charisma has improved all over the country for various reasons. It is an open fact that the BJP hardly contributed to the state’s development in these five years. Issues like Special Status, Polavaram project, capital shifting, privatization of RINL, etc. were ignored by the BJP and this led to more dissatisfaction of the people with the central government.
As per official numbers, the BJP secured a meager voting percentage that was less than NOTA in the 2019 elections of AP. So, what was the real reason behind Naidu’s brave decision to ally with the BJP despite the resurgence of TDP in the last one year?
Sources close to the TDP revealed that Naidu was desperate to bury the hatchet with the BJP despite not receiving any respect in the last five years only because he wanted to counter Jagan Mohan Reddy’s poll management tactics. It is well known that Jagan wants to win this term by hook or crook because he knows that if he can retain power again then it is going to be very tough for the TDP to survive. So, it is sure that Jagan will use all his power, money, resources, and other strategies to win the elections at any cost.
Naidu felt that he could scuttle Jagan’s ambitions only with the backing of the central government. He wants to stifle the free flow of money and misuse of official machinery during polls by the YSRCP. So, he has no other option but to reconcile ties with Modi.
Poll management plays a very big role in the upcoming assembly elections in Andhra Pradesh. If BJP wields a heavy hand on Jagan’s unethical poll practices, it is going to be very difficult for Jagan to return to power again.