Vijayawada: Talks were held between Telugu Desam chief Nara Chandrababu Naidu and Jana Sena founder Pawan Kalyan here on Sunday on seat sharing for the the 2024 elections.
According to reports, the TD and JS would announce their respective seats in a day or two, or after February 10.
The three-hour meeting saw the JS seeking 35 assembly and five Lok Sabha seats. Ffter a lengthy discussion, Naidu primarily agreed to give JS 25 MLA and 2 LS constituencies. The talks would continue.
Chandrababu and Pawan Kalyan already met three times to discuss a joint manifesto and seat distribution between the two alliance partners.
Chandrababu and Pawan Kalyan held discussions in Hyderabad for four days and also worked separately on the selection of candidates. Chandrababu made it clear that TD will contest the Mandapet and Araku seats and announced its candidates for the two seats.
Expressing anguish over the “unilateral announcement” by Naidu, Pawan Kalyan announced that Jana Sena will contest the Rajanagaram and Rajolu seats. These announcements created confusion among TD and JS supporters. It was in this backdrop that the two leaders held discussions on Sunday to clear the air.
Chandrababu has made it clear to the leaders of both parties in Godavari districts that some leaders should be prepared for sacrifices. The leaders who do not get tickets in the alliance will be given suitable positions in the party and the government, he said.
It has also been announced that only the current TD MLAs will be given a chance in the sitting positions.
Already, the TD has zeroed in on around 75 strong candidates for assembly segments that include Araku and Mandapeta. TD has proposed JS fight 25 assembly and two MP seats.
Meanwhile, Pawan Kalyan did not get an appointment to speak to Union Home Minister Amit Shah on the political development in Andhra Pradesh and on seat sharing between the TD, JS and BJP for the coming elections. BJP still claims Jana Sena is its alliance partner but does not give clarity about its role in the present TD-JS alliance.
Pawan Kalyan is likely to visit Delhi on Feb 10 and talk to BJP high command on crucial issues. Based on this, they would announce the joint manifesto and the list of candidates for the LS and assembly seats in a phased manner.
