Vijayawada: The Telugu Desam is looking at alternative measures to compensate for loss of vote share after the alliance with the BJP breaks before the elections. The BJP won two per cent of the vote in 2014, and the TD expects that it may have five per cent now.
A section of the BJP has become highly critical of the TD, and YSR Congress chief Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy has stated that he is ready to tie up with the BJP if it gives the state Special Category Status.
At least thrice after meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has spoken about the alliance and asked his cadres to keep mum despite provocation from the BJP.
The ace in Mr Naidu’s sleeve is Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan. His siding with Mr Naidu, it is expected, will more than make up for the loss of the BJP alliance.
In an effort to shore up its vote share, the TD started concentrating on Dalits and minorities, said agriculture minister Somireddy Chandramo-han Reddy. The TD had ignored these two sections due to its alliance with the BJP. The Dalita Tejam, which the TD launched on Republic Day soon after Mr Naidu returned from Davos, is part of this scheme. Sources said a few more such programmes can be expected in the run-up to the polls.
TD had wooed minorities with Council seat
The Telugu Desam is looking at alternative measures to compensate for loss of vote share after the alliance with the BJP breaks before the elections.
To woo the minorities, the TD took its first steps in this direction during the Nandyal Assembly byelection last year when it nominated N.M.D. Farooq to the legislative council and subsequently had him elected as chairman.
The TD believes Muslims had voted for the party in large numbers in the Nandyal bypoll; their vote was for the YSRC in last general elections.
Another section, the dalit Christians, are against the BJP and thus the TD-BJP alliance have become a strong vote bank of the YSR Congress. This section shifted its allegiance from the Congress and followed Mr Jagan Mohan Reddy after the death of his father and Chief Minister Dr Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy.
Minister Chandramohan Reddy said programmes are being initiated by the state government to empower the dalits with more funds, but this in no way concerns the BJP alliance.
