TDP-BJP-JSP gearing up for first show of strength in Andhra ahead of polls

Amaravati, March 13 (IANS) The Telugu Desam Party (TDP), Jana Sena Party (JSP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have been making large-scale arrangements for the successful conduct of the March 17 public meeting at Chilakaluripet, their first after forging the alliance for upcoming Assembly and Lok Sabha polls in Andhra Pradesh.

The NDA partners plan to mobilise numerous people for the meeting, which will be addressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, TDP supremo N. Chandrababu Naidu, and Jana Sena leader and actor Pawan Kalyan.

This will also be the first public meeting to be addressed by the trio after a decade.

Upbeat over the tripartite alliance and the seat sharing deal taking shape, the TDP is deploying all its resources in coordination with the two allies to ensure the success of the public meeting in Guntur district.

TDP general secretary Nara Lokesh, who is supervising the arrangements for the first show of strength by the alliance, on Wednesday visited the venue along with leaders of the BJP and the Jana Sena.

The alliance leaders performed the ‘Bhoomi Pooja’ at Boppudi, the venue of the March 17 public meeting.

All three partners are taking the event as a prestigious one.

The leaders recalled that even in 2014, the then alliance partners launched the election campaign in Guntur district, which turned out to be a grand success.

The alliance partners are moving ahead with the same sentiment for the 2024 polls.

Pawan Kalyan had only campaigned for the TDP-BJP alliance in the 2014 polls.

The two parties had shared power till 2018 when TDP pulled out of NDA over non-fulfilment of the promise to accord special category status to Andhra Pradesh.

Pawan Kalyan had earlier distanced himself from both parties over the same issue.

After facing the drubbing in 2019 polls, which they contested separately, the three parties have once again joined hands, this time with the mission to remove the YSR Congress from power.

The leaders of the three parties said the alliance was to “realise the dreams of five crore people by ending the atrocious rule of YSR Congress”.

They exuded confidence that the alliance would create a history in the state.

Since all the top leaders of the three parties are going to address the public meeting to be attended by lakhs of people from across the state, Lokesh and leaders of the other two parties discussed in detail the arrangements to be made for the programme being organised on a spacious 200 acres.

Lokesh asked the organisers to ensure that no inconvenience of any kind is caused for anyone who is attending the meeting.

Those who visited the venue included TDP state unit president, Kinjerapu Atchen Naidu, former ministers, Pattipati Pulla Rao and Kanna Laxminarayana, senior TDP leaders like Kommareddy Pattabhiram, Alapati Rajendra Prasad and Nakka Ananda Babu besides others, BJP leader Paturi Nagabhushanam, and Kalyanam Siva Srinivas from the Jana Sena.

Pattipati Pulla Rao expressed confidence that the YSR Congress will be completely rooted out of the state and the people are eagerly waiting for the March 17 meeting. The leaders will give a clear roadmap for the progress of the state.

Paturi Nagabhushanam said that the YSR Congress was not getting even candidates to contest the upcoming polls and the alliance will work towards “sending home” Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, YS Jagan Mohan Reddy “who destroyed the state”, and all the three parties will work like “Timurthi” for the development of the state.

Jana Sena leader Nagaraju said that Jagan Mohan Reddy demolished all sectors and the people are eagerly waiting to rebuild the state.

–IANS

ms/pgh