It has been four days since the Bharatiya Janata Party formed an alliance with the Telugu Desam Party, led by former Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu, and the Jana Sena Party, led by actor Pawan Kalyan.
The alliance has been formalized, and the seat-sharing formula has been announced. However, apart from a couple of leaders, many BJP leaders in Andhra Pradesh have remained silent regarding the alliance with the TDP and have not issued any statements in support of it.
While a joint statement was issued by the BJP national leaders and Naidu, there has been no similar statement at the state level, except for a couple of tweets from leaders like Daggubati Purandeshwari and Satya Kumar.
Sources indicate that many BJP leaders in Andhra Pradesh, except for a few, are not enthusiastic about joining hands with the TDP and agreeing to a few assembly seats.
During discussions between BJP national secretary Shiva Kumar before the alliance, they expressed the view that it would be better not to align with the TDP.
They conveyed to the central leadership that allowing the TDP to come to power would hinder BJP's growth.
They pointed out that the BJP's vote share was higher in the 1998 parliamentary elections when it contested alone in Andhra Pradesh and won two Lok Sabha seats – Rajahmundry and Kakinada. The vote share declined after forming an alliance with the TDP.
Additionally, BJP leaders cautioned the central leaders that some of those lobbying for MP tickets were originally affiliated with the TDP. Therefore, they are essentially TDP candidates and would prioritize Naidu's interests over the BJP's.
There is apprehension that in the assembly elections, defectors from the TDP might secure a significant portion of the seats, according to sources.
