BJP to bargain for 10 LS seats

Riding on the Modi wave, the BJP is bargaining for 10 Lok Sabha and at least 42 Assembly seats, in alliance with TDP. Though the alliance is yet to be finalized, top party leaders are insisting on the seats with TD chief N Chandrababu Naidu.

Senior BJP senior leader M Venkaiah Naidu is insisting on the party top leaders to place the demand during alliance talks. He also reportedly told them the party could go it alone if the demand was rejected.

According to highly placed sources, Venkaiah, who was in Krishna and Guntur districts for a day’s tour on March 17, held talks with party leaders here and also some select people. The leaders reportedly apprised him about the party prospects---in alliance or going solo.

Before leaving Vijayawada, he had a telephonic conversation with Arun Jaitley and Prakash Javdekar. He urged them to insist on six-seven Lok Sabha seats, there-four Telangana seats in alliance, and at least one Assembly segment in every LS constituency---totaling 25 in Seemandhra and 17 in Telangana.

Venkaiah also discussed the party prospects in the two districts, and enquired about the candidature of D Purandeswari, U V Krishnam Raju and Kanumuru Raghurama Krishnam Raju for the Lok Sabha. Party sources said Venkaiah responded positively to the proposal of fielding Purandeswari from Vijayawada. However, he expressed doubts over Chandrababu Naidu accepting her candidature, as BJP is firm on fielding K Haribabu from Visakhapatnam.

‘We are asking for Visakhapatnam. If we ask for Vijayawada too, he (Chandrababu Naidu) may not accept,” Venkaiah reportedly said during the consultations.

Some elite who met the BJP leader advised him to insist on the Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada Lok Sabha seats, besides Rajahmundry and Narsapur. If TD refuses Vijayawada, the party decided to seek Machilipatnam and Narasaraopet.