Lok Sabha Elections 2014: Anti-Congress Alliance Taking Shape in AP, Pawan Kalyan May Join

A tri-party anti-Congress alliance of Telugu Desam Party (TDP), Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Jana Sena is apparently taking shape in Andhra Pradesh (AP), particularly in Seemandhra region. Behind the scenes, it is said that TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu and Pawan Kalyan already met and discussed about the election alliance. BJP has already expressed its inclination to ally with TDP.

Having understood that Congress won't come to power in Seemandhra, Congress leaders' exodus into TDP was continuing, while its leaders - Raghuveera Reddy and Chiranjeevi were scheduled to take a poll tour in campaign buses from 21 March 2014.

Taking the advantage of Pawan Kalyan's announcement that he is ready for a poll tie-up with all non-Congress parties, BJP veteran leader Venkaiah Naidu has expressed to go with Jana Sena, the party launched by the maverick Telugu hero actor. Venkaiah Naidu has stated that within a week the party will finalise its poll alliances in AP. 

Meanwhile, TDP has received a shot in the arm with scores of Congress leaders joining it in Seemandhra. Buoyed by the exodus of Congress leaders, Chandrababu said that his party can win all the 25 parliament seats in Seemandhra. He expressed confidence that TDP will play a pivotal role in forming the next government at the Centre. Witnessing the trend of Congress leaders' defection to join TDP, some Union ministers like Kavoori Sambashiva Rao were also mulling to join the regional party. 

Seemandhra region Pradesh Congress Committee president Raghuveera Reddy has announced that the party will hold poll tour in bus from 21 to 27 March 2014 in the remant AP (excluding Telangana). Along with Reddy, Union Tourism Minister Chiranjeevi and other ministers are also expected to lead the poll campaigning. 

In Telangana, Congress leaders claim that crossovers of Congress leaders into Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) has come down as Rahul Gandhi has announced that he, along with his mother and party president Sonia Gandhi and sister Priyanka will tour AP before 30 March. It is said that Rahul is convincing party leaders who wanted to abandon the party to join TRS, not to leave the party. Thanks to Rahul's initiative, two MLAs, who were planning to join TRS, decided to remain in the party.

The two MLAs received a phone call from Rahul, who convinced them not to leave the party. One of the two MLAs - Nandishwar Goud from Patancheru in Medak district said: "He (Rahul Gandi) told me that the Congress was a party of backward classes and advised me not to leave the party. I informed him that I did not want to quit, but some people were creating such conditions," Zeenews quoted. 

On the other hand, Jaganmohan Reddy's YSR Congress still rules out TDP's chances of sweeping votes in Seemandhra and Telangana. He says he will ally with whichever paties that form the next government at the Centre. His party is also contesting in Telangana region, where his mother Vijayamma is to campaign extensively.  

Andhra Pradesh, comprising both Telangana and Semandhra, has 42 Lok Sabha seats and 294 Assembly seats.