Chandrababu Naidu prepares Rahul for alliance

Hyderabad/ New Delhi: The 30-minute meeting between Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and AICC president Rahul Gandhi has sparked off an interesting debate in the political circles. The meeting assumed importance as only two more phases of polling remains to be held for 118 Lok Sabha seats.

It is said that Naidu and Rahul discussed the polling that had taken place so far and the polling pattern. Naidu is said to have told Rahul Gandhi about the need to act fast and prepare advance strategies as neither the BJP nor the Congress party would get required majority to form government on its own.

In this context, Naidu is said to have emphasised on the need to hold discussions with all the 21 opposition parties which had come on a single platform and were fighting against the BJP-led NDA so that they can firm up the alliance and stop the BJP from indulging in horse-trading which would be on an unimaginably largescale after the results were announced.

Hence, Naidu suggested that a meeting of all 21 parties be convened on May 21. It was also felt that the opposition parties should write a letter to President of India on May 21 stating that first preference to form government should be given to the alliance and not to BJP even if it emerges as the single largest party.

While on record it is being said that they discussed about the apex court rejection of counting 50 per cent VVPAT slips and the meeting they had with the Election Commission later in the evening, speculations are rife that Naidu and Rahul exchanged reports on the polling pattern across the country in the five phases held so far.

Naidu is said to have told Rahul that while BJP may not win more than 170 to 180 seats, the Congress too has not emerged very strong and may end up with 120-130 seats. Hence all necessary steps to stitch a proper alliance to enlist support of other regional parties which can give another 150 to 160 seats should be worked out immediately to get the magic figure of 272 seats.

Both the leaders are understood to have felt that given a chance, the BJP would indulge in largescale horse-trading. They felt that the Mayawati-Akhilesh combination would sweep the polls in UP. The BJP they are learnt to have felt would lose over 40 seats in UP, more than 10 seats in Gujarat and about 15 seats in Madhya Pradesh.

It would even lose heavily in Chhattisgarh. States like UP, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Bihar and Maharashtra would be emerge as key players. Naidu is also learnt to have told Rahul that TDP would win 17 Lok Sabha seats in Andhra Pradesh while YSRCP would win eight.

Naidu later left for West Bengal and will be meeting Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee apart from attending her rallies on Wednesday and Thursday. He will also have a separate meeting with Mamata to discuss the post-poll scenario and the need to stitch a firm alliance.