Telugu Desam Party led by former Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu and Jana Sena Party led by power star Pawan Kalyan have announced that they have forged an alliance and would go to polls together with common manifesto.
While the leaders of both the parties have formed coordination committees at the state level and are trying to work out a common election strategy, all is not well at the ground-level, reports coming from various districts indicate.
There have been reports that the so-called “Atmeeya Samavesalu” (Friendship meetings) which began at the constituency-level on Tuesday are witnessing clashes between the TDP and Jana Sena Party workers.
Both the party cadres are indulging in allegations and counter-allegations and at some places, they are even resorting to fisticuffs and attacks.
The meetings are supposed to be held till Thursday and starting Friday, both the party leaders are supposed to do door to door campaign together.
The Jana Sena Party leaders and cadre at the constituency level are said to be not tolerating the dominance of the TDP leaders at the grassroots level. They are alleging that the TDP has been taking credit for the alliance and seeking to sideline the Jana Sena workers.
For instance, at the TDP-Jana Sena Party coordination committee meeting at Pithapuram of Kakinada district, the Jana Sena Party workers raised strong objections to the speech of former TDP MLA S V S N Varma, who requested that the Jana Sena workers should work for the TDP candidate.
This led to clashes between the workers of two parties. At one stage, they even ransacked the furniture there and came to blows. With great difficulty, the top leaders managed to bring normalcy.
Similar reports are emanating from other constituencies as well, sources added.
