TDP, Jana Sena chalk out joint campaign plan, silent on BJP question

At first coordination meeting, send message to TDP cadre to 'stay strong'; plan door-to-door visits, rallies

Speaking after the meeting, actor-turned-politician and JSP head Pawan Kalyan said the two parties met in Rajahmundry, where TDP chief and former Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu is imprisoned, to “send a message to the TDP cadre to stay strong”. (Photo: Twitter/@JanaSenaParty)

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In the first coordination meeting of their alliance on Monday, the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and Jana Sena Party (JSP) have decided to hit the ground running with a 100-day joint campaign.

Nara Lokesh Naidu, the national general secretary of the TDP, said the YSRCP government is “stifling the voice of the people” and is “making every effort to intimidate rival political leaders”.

Under the YSRCP government, “SCs, STs, and OBCs are suffering”, he said, adding that there “is a drought-like situation in the Krishna region” and that “the government is not bothered”.

The parties announced that TDP and JSP leaders will conduct public meetings in each district between October 29 and 31. From November 1, they will launch a drive through which they will go door-to-door to seek people’s suggestions on their manifestos. They have also planned tTDP-JSP district-level coordination committees.

Also read | A month after Chandrababu’s arrest, TDP on pause, hopes to ride ‘sympathy wave’

TDP Andhra Pradesh state unit president K Atchennaidu and leaders Yanamala Ramakrishnudu, P Keshav, P Satyanarayana, T Soumya, and Nimmala Rama Naidu attended the meeting. Nadendla Manohar, K Durgesh, B Naykar, V Mahender Reddy and P Yashvini were present from the JSP’s side.

Silence on BJP

Kalyan’s party is already an ally of the BJP-led NDA and he has been pitching for a “grand alliance” against the Jagan dispensation. Days after Naidu’s arrest in September, when they first made their announcement, Kalyan had said: “I have decided today that the JSP and TDP will be together and we will contest (in the 2024 elections) together. We cannot fight the YSRCP alone. I wanted the BJP to join me in this battle against the YSRCP. I am still hoping that the BJP will join us. The BJP has not taken a decision but I am still very hopeful,” Kalyan said.

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The TDP had walked out of the NDA in 2018 ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections on a bitter note, with the then CM Naidu accusing the BJP-ruled Centre of neglecting Andhra Pradesh and not granting it a special category status.

Kalyan believes that the grand alliance comprising the TDP, JSP and BJP would have an edge against the formidable YSRCP. The BJP, which was initially averse to tying up with the TDP, seemed to have warmed up to Kalyan’s proposal, but has still remained non-committal on it.

In the 2019 elections to the 175-member Assembly, the YSRCP had swept the polls, bagging 151 seats. The TDP had won 23 seats with a vote share of 39% while the JSP had got 1 seat with 5.54% votes.

Sreenivas Janyala

Sreenivas Janyala is a Deputy Associate Editor at The Indian Express, where he serves as one of the most authoritative voices on the socio-political and economic landscape of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. With a career spanning over two decades in mainstream journalism, he provides deep-dive analysis and frontline reporting on the intricate dynamics of South Indian governance. Expertise and Experience Regional Specialization: Based in Hyderabad, Sreenivas has spent more than 20 years documenting the evolution of the Telugu-speaking states. His reporting was foundational during the historic Telangana statehood movement and continues to track the post-bifurcation development of both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Key Coverage Beats: His extensive portfolio covers a vast spectrum of critical issues: High-Stakes Politics: Comprehensive tracking of regional powerhouses (BRS, TDP, YSRCP, and Congress), electoral shifts, and the political careers of figures like K. Chandrashekar Rao, Chandrababu Naidu, and Jagan Mohan Reddy. Internal Security & Conflict: Authoritative reporting on Left-Wing Extremism (LWE), the decline of the Maoist movement in former hotbeds, and intelligence-led investigations into regional security modules. Governance & Infrastructure: Detailed analysis of massive irrigation projects (like Kaleshwaram and Polavaram), capital city developments (Amaravati), and the implementation of state welfare schemes. Crisis & Health Reporting: Led the publication's ground-level coverage of the Covid-19 pandemic in South India and major industrial incidents, such as the Vizag gas leak. Analytical Depth: Beyond daily news, Sreenivas is known for his "Explained" pieces that demystify complex regional disputes, such as river water sharing and judicial allocations between the sister states. ... Read More