In major political development Chandrababu Naidu, the former chief minister of the state, convened a late-night meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP national president JP Nadda to discuss the potential of rejoining the NDA.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's statement in the Lok Sabha, predicting that the NDA would win 400 seats in the upcoming general elections, has motivated the BJP to ramp up its campaign efforts.

In the northern region, the BJP is working hard to gain the support of Jayant Chaudhary's RLD for the alliance. At the same time the southern states, efforts are being made to reconcile with the former ally Chandrababu Naidu-led TDP, to bring it back into the fold in Andhra Pradesh.

A source within the TDP reported that the meeting was highly productive, indicating that an announcement could be imminent. Both parties have conveyed their expectations during the discussion.

The source further affirmed that the leaders' discussions primarily centered around the overarching framework of the alliance, with no detailed negotiations on individual seats. It was mutually agreed, in principle, to advance the discussions. Thus far, there have been no deliberations among the leaders regarding seat allocations.

Other sources have confirmed that the BJP's top leadership is scheduled to meet with Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan, who is expected to arrive in Delhi. Notably, Pawan Kalyan, a member of the NDA, has formed an alliance in Andhra Pradesh with Naidu's TDP, despite the latter not being formally associated with the NDA.

Pawan Kalyan has consistently criticized the Jagan Mohan Reddy-led YSRCP government in the state and has expressed readiness to collaborate with any entity aiming to oust Reddy from power.

He has frequently denounced the Jagan Reddy administration as corrupt and was among the political figures who managed to meet Naidu while the latter was incarcerated. Following that encounter, Kalyan announced the alliance with the TDP.

Sources revealed that just a couple of months ago, Naidu visited Delhi and conducted a discreet meeting with Nadda and Shah. It was reported that Naidu's son, TDP MLA Nara Lokesh, has also engaged in several rounds of discussions with the top leadership of the BJP.

Last year, during Chandrababu Naidu's arrest by the Jagan Reddy government in connection with the skills development scam, Nara Lokesh met with Amit Shah to express concerns about his father's health. At that time, the BJP leadership assured Lokesh that the central government had no involvement in his father's arrest.

Several YSRCP MPs are rumored to be considering joining the TDP, with one reportedly meeting Chandrababu Naidu recently. In a setback for the TDP, Vijayawada MP Kesineni Nani switched to the YSRCP. Naidu, a former strong ally of the BJP, left the NDA in 2018 over Andhra Pradesh's special status demand.

After attempting an anti-BJP alliance with Congress and TMC, he faced a defeat in the 2019 elections. Since then, he has softened his stance towards the BJP and attended the Ram Mandir 'Pran Pratishtha' ceremony.

Image source: Times of India