- TDP and JSP announce the combined list of 99 candidates for Andhra Pradesh Assembly elections.
- BJP alliance is still pending; awaiting a response.
- YSRCP criticizes JSP’s role, questioning its independence.
- TDP-JSP focuses on winnable seats, emphasizing people’s input; YSRCP highlights its own popularity and welfare schemes.
Telugu Desam Party (TDP), led by former Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu, and its partner Jana Sena Party (JSP), headed by Pawan Kalyan, have teamed up for the upcoming Andhra Pradesh Assembly elections.
Together, they’ve revealed a list of 99 candidates, with TDP nominating 94 and JSP 5. The parties are still waiting for a response from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) regarding a possible alliance.
Naidu stated that JSP would contest 24 Assembly seats and three Lok Sabha constituencies as per their agreement. He also mentioned that the remaining 19 seats’ candidates would be announced soon.
The first list includes candidates from various communities and backgrounds. There are 23 new faces and 13 women among the nominees. Notably, Naidu will contest from Kuppam, his son Nara Lokesh from Mangalagiri and his brother-in-law Nandamuri Balakrishna from Hindupur.
The selection process involved input from over 13.3 million people through an interactive voice response system, aiming to prioritize the people’s aspirations.
Kalyan emphasized that their decision to contest only 24 seats was for the state’s welfare, rather than individual interests. He mentioned that had JSP won more seats previously, they would have asked for additional seats, but their focus now is on winnable constituencies.
The ruling YSR Congress Party (YSRCP), however, criticized JSP’s role, suggesting it lacked independent influence and was merely following TDP’s lead. YSRCP’s general secretary, Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy, questioned whether TDP would field candidates in JSP’s allotted seats.
He also highlighted YSRCP’s popularity, citing the widespread support for Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy’s welfare schemes.
TDP and JSP have joined forces for the elections, awaiting BJP’s decision on alliance. While TDP-JSP’s strategy promotes people’s input and winnable seats, YSRCP sees JSP as subordinate to TDP and asserts its own strong support base.