After forging alliance with Nitish Kumar’s JD(U) in Bihar, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is reportedly mulling alliance option in other states too. Here’s a look at what the BJP and the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is up to in different states:
Punjab
Union Home Minister and BJP leader Amit Shah recently asserted that talks were on with the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD). Speaking at an event on Saturday, Shah was asked about the SAD’s re-entry in the BJP-led NDA. Responding to this, the home minister was quoted by PTI as saying, “Talks are going on but nothing has been finalised.”
A day later, several reports claimed that the talks for an alliance between the BJP and the SAD to contest the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in Punjab “failed”.
Amid such speculations, Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal also said his party’s “alliance is with the BSP (Bahujan Samaj Party)…They (Congress and AAP) are thieves and have ruined Punjab.” He reportedly avoided a straight answer to the question and said, “I am currently doing ‘Punjab Bachao Yatra’…”
Sukhbir Singh Badal-led SAD had pulled out of the NDA in September 2020 over the now-scrapped three farm laws. The Akali Dal had been among the BJP’s oldest allies. It had snapped severed its ties with the BJP to protest the farm laws, which were later repealed following farmers’ protests.
Andhra Pradesh
Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief Chandrababu Naidu had reportedly met Shah and BJP president JP Nadda on February 7 for talks on possible tie up with the BJP in Andhra Pradesh for the Lok Sabha and assembly polls in the state.
The general and state assembly polls are likely to be held simultaneously in Andhra Pradesh before May.
Sources told PTI that the former Andhra Pradesh chief minister is keen to join hands with the BJP and a section in the ruling party believes that an alliance with Naidu will help the NDA do well in the state ruled by the YSR Congress.
On the possibility of joining hands with the TDP, which left the NDA in 2018, or the YSR Congress, Amit Shah said, “Everything is not disclosed in such platforms. Wait for some time. Everything will be clear for all.”
Meanwhile, a senior BJP leader was quoted by PTI as saying that his party is open to an alliance but it will all depend on how many seats the TDP, the main opposition party in Andhra Pradesh, agrees to give it, especially for the Lok Sabha polls.
The TDP had walked out of the NDA in 2018 but suffered majorly in the 2019 polls when it could win only three Lok Sabha seats and lost power in the state to the YSR Congress — which has mostly supported the government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on key issues for the last five years.
Uttar Pradesh
Business Today reported on February 9 that Jayant Chaudhary’s Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) stitched an alliance with the BJP in Uttar Pradesh for the 2024 Lok Sabha election. As per the seat sharing agreement, the RLD will contest two Lok Sabha seats, Baghpat and Bijnor, and has also been promised a Rajya Sabha seat.
However, no formal announcement of the alliance has been made till now.
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On February 8, news agency PTI reported that the BJP may soon finalise a seat-sharing deal with Jayant Singh-led RLD as the ruling party looks to further strengthen the NDA.
The report quoted sources as saying that the BJP’s alliance talks with the RLD are in an advanced stage. “The BJP is willing to offer two Lok Sabha seats, including Baghpat which is currently represented by its MP Satya Pal Singh, to the RLD and may also give it a Rajya Sabha seat,” sources added.
In a major political realignment ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, JD(U) chief Nitish Kumar had switched from the opposition INDIA bloc to the NDA last month while there is talk of RLD also joining the BJP-led alliance.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has exuded confidence that the BJP will win 370 seats alone and the NDA will cross 400 seats in the Lok Sabha polls, expected in April-May, to the 543-member House.
(With inputs from agencies)
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Published: 12 Feb 2024, 06:24 AM IST