Telugu Desam Party (TDP) president N Chandrababu Naidu and Jana Sena Party (JSP) chief Pawan Kalyan held discussions with Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi, amid buzz of a strategic alliance between the three parties in the upcoming Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in Andhra Pradesh.

The TDP, once an integral part of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) until 2018, is now exploring the prospect of rekindling the alliance. The talks, held in New Delhi, focused on resolving key issues surrounding seat distribution, with both parties expressing a willingness to collaborate, pending an official announcement expected in the next day or two.

According to sources, the primary discussion revolved around seat-sharing arrangements. A potential alliance could see the BJP contesting six Lok Sabha seats, with the JSP led by Pawan Kalyan contesting two and the TDP holding the remaining 17 Lok Sabha seats. Out of the 175 Assembly seats in Andhra Pradesh, the BJP and the JSP have reportedly agreed to contest 30 parliamentary constituencies, but the former is asking for more. The TDP meanwhile has made it clear that it will contest alone on 145 seats.

The BJP’s keen interest in securing key constituencies, including Vizag, Vijayawada, Araku, Rajampet, Rajahmundry, Tirupati, and an additional location, remains a sticking point in the negotiations. 

The BJP’s ambitious goal of winning 370 seats in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls has spurred efforts to expand the NDA, considering alliances with regional parties crucial for achieving success. Apart from Andhra Pradesh, the BJP is also mulling a poll pact with the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) led by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik in Odisha.

In a jolt to the Congress in Madhya Pradesh ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, senior leader and former Union minister Suresh Pachouri, ex-MP Gajendra Singh Rajukhedi and several others, including the party’s former MLAs, joined the BJP in Bhopal today.

Mr Pachouri, Mr Rajukhedi and other leaders joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the presence of Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, state BJP president VD Sharma and former chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan at the party’s state headquarters in the morning.

Former MLAs Sanjay Shukla, Arjun Paliya, Vishal Patel were among the leaders of the grand old party who also joined the ruling outfit.

Mr Pachouri, who was close to the Gandhi family, was Union minister of state for defence (defence production and supplies), and also served as a four-time Rajya Sabha member of the grand old party.

Mr Pachouri had earlier held several key positions in the Congress, including the post of the party’s Madhya Pradesh unit president. He was also the state unit president of the Youth Congress.

Mr Rajukhedi, a prominent tribal leader, was elected as an MP from Dhar (Scheduled Tribes) Lok Sabha seat on the Congress ticket for three terms – 1998, 1999 and 2009. Before joining the Congress, he was elected as a BJP MLA in 1990.
 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

India beat England by an innings and 64 runs in the final Test to win the five-match series 4-1 at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association stadium on Saturday. Having conceded a lead of 259, England were all out for 195 in the second session on day three of the contest. Joe Root made 84 and Jonny Bairstow (39) also got a start while other England batters simply surrendered before India’s formidable spin attack. Off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin claimed 5-77 in his 100th test for a match haul of nine wickets.