TDP, JSP, BJP poll tie-up in final stage

Vijayawada : TDP and Jana Sena will be firming up the alliance with BJP in next couple of days’ time. The BJP national leaders are understood to have given a green signal for reviving the 2014 political scenario in Andhra Pradesh. While in 2014 Jana Sena did not contest, this time all the three parties will be in the electoral fray.

Giving this indication on Wednesday, Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan said that he would be meeting BJP leaders on Thursday. It is learnt that Chandrababu Naidu is also likely to go to Delhi on Thursday. Both these leaders will meet BJP national president J P Nadda and possibly Union Home Minister Amit Shah and firm up the alliance and are likely to discuss the issue of seat sharing.

Addressing the party workers at Vijayawada on Wednesday, Pawan Kalyan said that he had to put in a lot of efforts to get this grand alliance in place. It was not an easy task. He said at times he had to hear many comments from the BJP leaders. But he was undeterred. Finally his efforts succeeded. He said he did not do this anticipating any post but it was a one-point programme to defeat the YSRCP which had criminalised politics and development had gone for a toss.

Taking potshots at Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, Pawan Kalyan said pressing the button to release money by borrowing was not good governance. He has pushed the state into a debt trap.

Referring to the role of money during elections, he said he hopes that there would be reforms and at least by 2029 elections, conducting elections with less expenditure would become a reality. Zero budget elections are not possible and that is why even the Election Commission has raised the limit of spending money to Rs 45 lakh per candidate.

For this election, he said he would leave it to the candidates to decide whether to buy votes or not. Preferably don’t buy but ensure that the cadre is taken care of by providing them food and other facilities.

He further said that ongoing welfare schemes would not be scrapped. He said he was ‘Sidham’ (ready), let him (Jagan) know that TDP-JSP is ready for ‘Yudham’ (war).

Meanwhile, YSRCP MP Raghurama Krishnam Raju wrote a letter to Governor S Abdul Nazeer to recommend President’s rule in the state to ensure peaceful conduct of polls.