• Source:JND
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Almost five years after leaving the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) is likely to come back into the BJP-led alliance, with party chief Chandrababu Naidu visiting Delhi to meet BJP’s central leadership. Naidu held a meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP chief JP Nadda on Thursday night to discuss the possibility of their tie-up ahead of the upcoming simultaneous Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in Andhra Pradesh. 

TDP was part of the BJP-led NDA but left in 2018 when Naidu was the state's chief minister. During the meeting, discussions were held around the possibility of an alliance contingent on the two parties reaching a suitable agreement on seat-sharing.

Both parties expressed willingness to establish an alliance, with the final decision depending on the outcome of negotiations over seat allocation, news agency PTI reported citing sources. 

Meanwhile, TDP leaders reportedly said that any further delay in forming an alliance would be detrimental because elections are coming and any uncertainty would confuse party workers and supporters. 

The Jana Sena Party, led by actor Pawan Kalyan and a member of the NDA, has already joined hands with the TDP and has been pressing the BJP to do the same. Kalyan also joined the meeting with Shah and earlier met with leaders including MPs of the TDP. 

The two parties disagreed on the number of seats the BJP would fight in the state, where it has little presence, news agency PTI reported citing sources. Andhra Pradesh has as many as 25 Lok Sabha and 175 Assembly seats and the BJP is keen to contest eight to 10 parliamentary constituencies.