Ahead of Lok Sabha elections, BJP eyes pacts with ex-NDA allies, including Shiromani Akali Dal

Tribune News Service

Aditi Tandon

New Delhi, March 7

Nearly a decade since the erstwhile National Democratic Alliance (NDA) lost steam with top partners exiting, PM Narendra Modi-led BJP dispensation is silently working to revive the old front.

After ensuring the return of Nitish Kumar-led JD(U) to the NDA in January and Jayant Chaudhary-led Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) this week, the BJP top brass is working to strike pacts with the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) in Andhra Pradesh, Biju Janata Dal (BJD) in Odisha and the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) in Punjab.

Talks on with sad, tdp, BJD

• Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief Chandrababu Naidu met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi on Thursday
• In Punjab, the issue of Bandi Singhs is learnt to be the main sticking point between the BJP and SAD
• In Odisha, the BJP-BJD tie-up is set to be announced soon

All three are erstwhile NDA allies. Efforts are on for each one’s return to the fold or at least reach an understanding with the BJP.

TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu arrived in Delhi on Thursday and is expected to hold parleys with Union Home Minister Amit Shah later tonight. Andhra Pradesh has 25 LS and 175 Assembly seats. Pawan Kalyan of the Jana Sena has already joined the TDP and has been rooting for a TDP-BJP pact.

In Odisha, sources in the BJP and BJD said the LS seat-sharing pact had nearly been finalised, with an announcement likely on March 12 when Shah would visit the state.

Extensive deliberations on the BJP-BJD tie-up were held at the residence of Patnaik in Bhubaneswar on Wednesday. It is learnt that the BJP could fight 15 LS seats in Odisha as against BJD’s six, while the BJD could fight 110 out of the 147 Assembly seats.

In Punjab, the BJP is learnt to be engaged with the SAD that quit the NDA in September 2020 over a raging farmers’ protest against three agricultural reform Bills.

The Tribune has learnt that the issue of release of “Bandi Singhs” is the main sticking point and the two sides may be working on some resolution. SGPC’s five-member panel on ways to secure the release of “Bandi Singhs” met in Amritsar today. “Some resolution may be worked out,” a source privy to the BJP-SAD talks said.

Among other erstwhile NDA partners are the National Conference in J&K and the AIADMK in Tamil Nadu.

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#Andhra Pradesh #BJP #Lok Sabha #Narendra Modi #Nitish Kumar #Shiromani Akali Dal