NDA seat-sharing talks remain inconclusive as JSP, BJP eye bigger quota in local body polls

Election material arrives at Swarna Bharathi Indoor Stadium in Visakhapatnam, ahead of the local body elections. | Photo Credit: FILE PHOTO / V RAJU

No consensus has emerged among the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) partners in Andhra Pradesh on seat-sharing for the forthcoming urban local body elections, with the BJP rejecting the TDP’s offer and Jana Sena Party (JSP) chief and Deputy Chief Minister K. Pawan Kalyan reportedly expressing reservations over the proposal made to his party.

Chief Minister and TDP president N. Chandrababu Naidu met BJP State president P.V.N. Madhav and State Medical and Health Minister Satya Kumar Yadav on Monday to discuss seat-sharing. The BJP leaders “stoutly rejected” the TDP’s offer, according to sources.

“They offered five per cent of the seats. They are going by the old system of seat-sharing, which we rejected,” a senior BJP leader privy to the discussions said.

On Tuesday, TDP State president Palla Srinivasa Rao and Water Resources Minister Nimmala Ramanaidu held discussions with Mr. Pawan Kalyan, but the talks reportedly failed to yield positive results.