TDP consolidates in AP, bonds with BJP

Although earlier there was tension between the two allies, for the moment, it seems the relationship is unbreakable

On March 19, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu flew to Lucknow for the swearing-in ceremony of his Uttar Pradesh counterpart Yogi Adityanath of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to display the bond between the two National Democratic Alliance partners.

Back home, Naidu’s Telugu Desam Party (TDP) demonstrated its firm grip over the state by bagging 14 of the 21 vacant Legislative Council seats, including a North Andhra Graduate constituency for the BJP in the following week.

With both parties on a winning spree in their respective terri- tories, speculation over whether their relationship will endure till the 2019 general elections has been temporarily put to rest.

The bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh has changed the face of politics in the state. The two regional political parties, TDP and YSR Congress Party (YSRCP), occupy the entire political space in the truncated AP, similar to the politics of Tamil Nadu. By attracting 21 of the 70-odd Assembly members from Jagan Mohan Reddy’s YSRCP and getting them to cross over, the TDP has shown it is the master of its universe. On the other hand, the Congress has no representation while the BJP has four members in the 175-member state Assembly.

So confident is Naidu now of his party’s strength that he is even ready to share the dais with Adityanath. In the past, Naidu used to be careful on such matters as he had to do a sensitive balancing act, keeping Muslim voters on his side in undivided AP. Now, he appears to have no such compulsions.

As a result, there is a visible effort to present a better public image and acceptability for the BJP-TDP relationship in AP. The issue of special status for AP had caused some friction between the state and the Centre in the first two years. Later, Naidu and the BJP worked out an alternative in the form of a financial package in a bid to assuage the feelings of the people of AP. Since then the leadership of both the TDP and the BJP have been speaking in one voice in defence of the special package.

In the Legislative Council elections, the TDP won five seats and the YSRCP two. This tally is based on the existing strength of state Assembly members belonging to the two parties. What has come as a big surprise was that all the nine Legislative Council posts under the local body quota were bagged by the ruling TDP.

However, the elections to the five graduate and teacher constituencies presented some contrast to the above trend. The lone BJP candidate, who contested from the North Andhra Graduate constituency, was elected while TDP candidates failed to win in any of the remaining four seats. The YSRCP won one graduate constituency, with the remaining three seats distributed among the Panchayat Raj Teachers Union and two People’s Democratic Front candidates, all backed by the Communist Party of India-Marxist, YSRCP and others.

Given that the teacher and the graduate constituencies elect their representatives in a direct election with the participation of the enrolled electorate belonging to teachers and graduates respectively, CPI-M General Secretary Sitaram Yechury said the Legislative Council election results represent a popular mood against the BJP-TDP combine.

When asked about the possible reasons for the BJP candidate’s victory in the graduate constituency in a direct election, a state CPI-M leader said people’s sentiments against the ruling party were not that strong in the northern districts of AP.

If at all the overall outcome of the elections caused damage to any political party, it was to the YSRCP, say analysts.

This election delivered a direct blow to the party’s hold in the YSR family bastion, Kadapa, which was nurtured by Jagan Mohan Reddy’s father and former chief minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy and his grandfather Raja Reddy on the basis of personal and family loyalties typical to the Rayalaseema region.

With the resources, tools and strategies at hand, the TDP was able to utilise the dissent simmering among close relatives of the YSR family to pull off a silent coup. It saw YSR’s brother, Y S Vivekanada Reddy’s defeat, hitherto unheard of in Kadapa district.

The late Raja Reddy’s brother’s son, Manohar Reddy, whose family holds top posts in the Pulivendula urban local body, backed the TDP candidate, helping him win the election. Sources say by the time YSRCP candidate Vivekananda Reddy came to know about the sabotage being organised by the senior TDP leadership, it was too late.

So, Naidu’s men took the battle into Jagan Mohan Reddy’s family backyard. This was possible partly because the latter was taking old family loyalties for granted, according to party insiders. It demonstrated that in terms of tactical electoral skills, Jagan Mohan Reddy is no match for an experienced leader like Naidu.

With 25 Lok Sabha constituencies, AP and the local alliances are going to have an important place in the BJP’s strategy for the 2019 elections. The TDP as well as the Opposition YSRCP are said to be available for any possible back-up plan for the BJP. So, it need not worry over these outcomes as long as any one of the two parties are in a position to win the next big elections.