It seems like the alliance of Indian National Congress with Telugu Desam Party (TDP) has come to an end just after one election. Both – Indian National Congress and Telugu Desam Party have entered into an alliance in recently concluded Telangana Assembly Polls. However, neither party benefitted from alliance and TRS registered a landslide victory in the state. In reports to be believed both have decided to go on their own in the ensuing Assembly elections in Andhra Pradesh. Reports further claimed that the alliance may end in Telangana.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and Telugu Desam president N. Chandrababu Naidu met Congress president Rahul Gandhi during his recent visit to Delhi and according to sources, they discussed the alliance in the Lok Sabha and AP Assembly elections which will be held simultaneously. Polls in Andhra, Arunachal, Sikkim, Odisha likely to be clubbed with Lok Sabha’19
Reportedly, Chandrababu Naidu reportedly told Rahul Gandhi that the TDP would support the Congress in national politics but would have no truck with it in the Andhra Pradesh Assembly or Lok Sabha elections. Chandrababu Naidu meets Rahul, Kejriwal, and others to push Grand Alliance for LS polls 2019
While the Telangana Congress leaders are of the view that their party did not do well in the recent Telangana state Assembly elections because of the alliance with the TDP as the electorate could not accept an alliance between parties that had been rivals for 35 years.
TDP Leaders believe that the people of Andhra Pradesh are still angry at the Congress for permitting the bifurcation of the state in 2014. So when Naidu said recently that “According to people’s opinion, we will decide about the alliance,” it has been taken to mean that there will not be an alliance for the upcoming elections.
Both the leaders reportedly agreed not to have an alliance in Andhra Pradesh even though they will jointly fight Narendra Modi at the Central Level.
A senior Congress leader also confirmed the move. APCC president N. Raghuveera Reddy said that in both Congress and TD, there are two opinions about the alliance. “We have left the decision to the high command on this issue; on January 20, the high command will announce its opinion on an alliance with other parties across the country,” he said.