The alliancesquabble between Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) has been settled in Andhra Pradesh (AP). Now, the two parties will continue the tie-up to campaign and contest the Lok Sabha and the State Assembly elections in AP jointly on 30 April and 7 May, the two parties stated.

The tussle was over the allotment of tickets. BJP's Seemandhra president Kambhampati Haribabu said that the alliance will continue in AP. As per TDP's insistence, BJP has given up the previously allotted Ichchapuram Assembly constituency.

As per the electoral alliance pact, BJP was given 14 Assembly and four Lok Sabha seats in Seemandhra, which has 175 Assembly and 25 Lok Sabha seats. BJP's national leader Prakash Javadekar and TDP MP Y Satyanarayana Chowdhary held talks and resolved the issue. TDP's contention was that BJP had fielded weak candidates in its allotted seats. The tussle had gone to the extent of snapping the poll tie-up, media reports said.

Meanwhile, in Seemandhra, the YS Jaganmohan Reddy-led YSRCP has reportedly urged the election commission to stop the screening of the film "Legend", starring Balakrishna, in the Hindupur Assembly constituency. Balakrishna is contesting from Hindupur to the State Assembly. However, fans of the Telugu film star have reportedly countered the YSRP, by demanding to stop pro-Jagan stories being published in Sakshi newspaper and telecasted on Sakshi TV.

TDP celebrated the birthday of its president N Chandrababu Naidu on 20 April at the NTR Trust Bhavan in Hyderabad. The 65-year-old leader's birthday was marked with all-religion prayers and a cake cutting ceremony.

Naidu is rigorously campaigning in AP in this election. On 19 April, Naidu addressed election rallies in Repalle in Guntur district and Bapatla in Prakasham district. Calling upon the electorate to defeat Congress and YSRCP, the former Chief Minister promised pro-development schemes. He assured employment to one member in each family in the state.  

In another surprise turn of events, former Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy, who launched Jai Samaikhyandhra Party (JSP), has decided not to contest the Assembly elections. He has fielded his brother Kishore Kumar Reddy from his forte - Piler constituency in Rayalaseema.

(Ed: VP)