Why Is TDP Candidates List Getting Delayed?

The ruling party, YSR Congress has locked and loaded its MLA and MP candidates for nearly all the constituencies for the coming AP elections. YS Jagan has even started his election campaign named “Siddham”. But the TDP-Janasena-BJP alliance is lagging behind in this aspect with the alliance not even releasing its first list of candidates.

Had it been a straight TDP-Janasena alliance, the first list would have been released already. But with the BJP swooping in at the last minute, the dynamics have changed. For the TDP-Janasena-BJP list to be out, TDP will first have to join the NDA. A related meeting is tentatively happening between Chandrababu, Pawan Kalyan, and the BJP bosses on February 20th and once that is done, TDP will officially join NDA at a later date.

Only after this formality is done, can TDP discuss the seat-sharing with BJP. Though Chandrababu will have a clear picture of seat sharing in mind, getting the BJP high command to approve it can take time. Chandrababu, being the senior pro in this alliance will have to take the additional job of curbing rebellion from internal leaders due to the unforeseen seat sharing with BJP as a few TDP and JSP leaders will have to sacrifice their seats to BJP now.

This is an elaborate process and the party that will lose the most out of this is obviously TDP. JSP won a single seat in the last election and BJP polled fewer votes than NOTA so both of them have nothing to lose no matter how long the list gets delayed. But TDP, on the other hand, being the fundamentally stronger of the three parties, will have to work out the candidates’ list at the earliest and then run the election campaign along with the two other allies.

With so many factors in play, one can understand why the first list is getting delayed. But with the elections approaching very quickly, there isn’t much buffer period and things have to trek along quickly from here on.