NAIDU’S EFFORTS FOR ALLIANCE GATHER PACE
■ Mr Naidu met Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati and sought her support for the alliance. ■ He also held talks with Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav and discussed the seats that would go to the NDA and UPA.
The Chief Ministers of both Telugu states are working hard to unite opposition leaders in the event of a hung parliament. Telugu Desam national president and AP Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu is busy in the national capital drawing up a post-election strategy to form an alliance government.
Telangana state Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao has also tried to meet national leaders of various parties to put together a Federal Front but has met with comparatively less success.
With the exception of Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy of the YSR Congress, none of the regional leaders, especially BSP chief Mayawati and SP leader Akhilesh Yadav, has shown any enthusiasm for the Front.
Mr Naidu has had talks with Sharad Pawar, Sharad Yadav, Mayawati, Akhilesh, Suravaram Sudhakar Reddy and other national leaders.
The Chief Ministers of both Telugu states are working hard to unite opposition leaders in the event of a hung parliament. Telugu Desam national president and AP Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu is busy in the national capital drawing up a postelection strategy to form an alliance government.
He also met AICC president Rahul Gandhi and discussed the political scenario.
Mr Naidu elaborated on the strategies to unite opposition parties to form a government at the Centre during the meeting with Mr Gandhi, who expressed his support for a united opposition. Sharad Pawar of the National Congress Party also supported the proposal.
Mr Naidu then went to Lucknow and met Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati and sought her support for the alliance.
He held talks with Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav and discussed the seats that would go to the NDA and UPA. The TD chief has held several rounds of discussion with opposition leaders, including TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee, AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal and CPI (M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury.
Mr Naidu said that if needed he will go to West Bengal to meet Ms Banerjee about the formation of the alliance government.
Mr Naidu said he told the national leaders whom he met that the NDA will get only 200 seats of the total 543 seats and oppositional parties will get the rest. If the opposition parties come together it is possible for them to form the government.
Mr Naidu has even submitted a report to Rahul Gandhi about the TD winning in Andhra Pradesh and the formation of an alliance government at the Centre.