Amaravati (Andhra Pradesh) [India], March 12 (ANI): In the run-up to the elections for the state assembly and Lok Sabha, the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and Jana Sena Party (JSP) sealed a seat-sharing pact in Andhra Pradesh on Monday. TDP chief and former Andhra Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu announced that his party has ‘forged a formidable seat-sharing formula’ among its alliance partners.
“In Amaravati today, the BJP, TDP and JSP forged a formidable seat-sharing formula. With this significant step, the people of Andhra Pradesh now stand on the threshold of reclaiming our state and paving the way for a brighter future. I humbly call upon my people of Andhra Pradesh to shower their blessings upon this alliance, and grant us a historic mandate to serve them,” Naidu said in a post on X. “Under the dynamic and visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), and the Jana Sena Party (JSP) have decided to contest the ensuing Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha elections in Andhra Pradesh together,” a joint statement of the parties said.
According to the statement, the BJP will contest from six seats, the TDP from 17 seats and the JSP from two seats for the parliamentary elections. In the assembly elections, the BJP will contest from 10 seats, the TDP from 144 seats and the JSP from 21 seats, as per the statement.
The seat-sharing was finalised at a meeting held at Amaravati today following the meeting between the three parties in Delhi, where an alliance was formalised. Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekawat, BJP National Vice President Baijayant Panda, TDP National President N Chandrababu Naidu and JSP President Pawan Kalyan participated in the meeting, the statement said.
The statement further said that the names of the seats will be announced subsequently by the respective parties. The TDP, which was part of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance until 2018, expressed interest in reviving the alliance after suffering a crushing defeat in the 2019 elections. The state has 25 Lok Sabha seats and 175 Assembly seats. Elections for Lok Sabha polls are expected to be held in April-May. (ANI)
