New Delhi: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu is exploring the “idea” of a pre-poll alliance, comprising a clutch of opposition parties with a common minimum programme, in the wake of the so-called Mahagathbandhan failing to take off.
The proposed grouping could comprise the Congress, Naidu’s Telugu Desam Party (TDP), the Trinamool Congress (TMC), the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the Janata Dal (Secular).
Speaking at Andhra Bhawan in New Delhi, Naidu said he was talking with the parties about the new formation but added that it was still “an idea” and that there was no decision yet.
The proposed pre-poll alliance won’t have any seat-sharing arrangement at the national level, he clarified, adding that it was meant to show people that the parties were together.
Apart from the optics of it, the objective of the pre-poll alliance is not clear although, in the event of a hung verdict, such a grouping could be treated as one party when the President takes a call on who to invite first to form the government.
In terms of optics too, such a pre-poll alliance may not carry much credence, given that its constituents would be contesting against one another in the states — the Congress versus Trinamool in West Bengal and the Congress against the TDP in Andhra Pradesh, for instance.
“Parties that do not have direct conflict with each other at the state level can come for a pre-poll alliance. We are talking to all the parties. Let us see,” said Naidu, clarifying that the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) will not be part of this proposed arrangement even though they support the idea.
The Andhra Pradesh chief minister has been at the forefront of efforts to bring anti-BJP parties together.
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Regional parties will go it alone in states and join hands nationally
Naidu said that he is talking with the other opposition parties on the formula that strong regional parties will fight it alone in their respective states while joining hands nationally.
“At the national level, there is the common interest to save the nation, save democracy,” Naidu said.
To a query on whether the pre-poll alliance would have a common minimum programme, he said, “We are working in that direction. We have already agreed to highlight some common issues such as joblessness, farm crisis and corruption. There are other issues also. We are deliberating on them.”
Talking to the ThePrint, Naidu, who is also the TDP chief, said his party has decided to go it alone in both the Lok Sabha and assembly elections in Andhra Pradesh. “We have decided to contest on all the seats. There is not going to be an alliance with the Congress in the state,” he said.
“We also have some compulsions. The Congress divided the state but now they are promising to give us special status and also support the implementation of the bifurcation act,” Naidu told ThePrint. “Now we have to see how people are going to respond.”
The Andhra Pradesh CM was in the Capital to press for his demand for special category status for the state. He sat on a day-long fast Monday and met President Ram Nath Kovind and gave him a memorandum demanding implementation of the state reorganisation act. His fast in the Capital also turned out to be a show of opposition unity with many leaders from the non-BJP parties coming to express solidarity.
Naidu said that though he has ended his fast demanding special category status for Andhra Pradesh, his fight will continue.
“I have two options,” he said. “I will to the Supreme Court or I will go to the people’s court, fight elections, win and come back and press for my demand.”
Speaking about his political rivals in Andhra Pradesh, which will have simultaneous Lok Sabha and assembly elections, Naidu was dismissive of YSR Congress chief Jagan Mohan Reddy. “He is in deep trouble in many cases,” Naidu said.
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