NDA finalises Rajya Sabha seat-sharing in Andhra Pradesh; TDP to take three, Jana Sena one

Vijayawada: The ruling NDA in Andhra Pradesh has, in principle, finalised its seat-sharing arrangement for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections, with the TDP set to contest three of the four vacancies and alliance partner Jana Sena one seat.The BJP is likely to wait until the next election cycle for its quota, according to discussions held at a high-level NDA coordination meeting chaired by chief minister and TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu on Thursday. The meeting, which lasted for more than three hours, was attended by deputy chief minister and Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan, civil supplies minister Nadendla Manohar, TDP state president Palla Srinivasa Rao, and BJP state president PVN Madhav.Sources said Chandrababu Naidu reiterated his commitment to the alliance’s understanding reached earlier and conveyed that the TDP would retain three seats while allotting one seat to Jana Sena. He reportedly requested BJP state chief Madhav to brief the party’s national leadership on the arrangement, assuring him that he would personally discuss the matter with senior BJP leaders, including union home minister Amit Shah and BJP national president Nitin Nabin.Madhav is said to have informed the meeting that they would abide by the decision of its central leadership on the issue. However, suspense continues about the candidates to be fielded.Following the meeting, leaders of the three NDA partners announced a statewide outreach campaign to showcase the achievements of the Narendra Modi-led NDA govt at the Centre and the Chandrababu Naidu-led coalition govt in the state.Addressing the media, Palla Srinivasa Rao said the alliance will organise a series of public meetings focusing on welfare, governance and development. The first meeting will be held in Tirupati on June 9, coinciding with the anniversary of Prime Minister Modi’s swearing-in. Welfare initiatives will be highlighted at the Tirupati meeting, while governance reforms will be the central theme of the Amaravati meeting scheduled for June 12. The third major public meeting, to be held in Visakhapatnam on June 15, will focus on development and investment-driven growth.Palla said NDA leaders will also conduct district-level programmes between June 13 and June 20 to explain the coalition govt’s performance during its first two years in office. He added that the meeting also reviewed developments relating to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.Nadendla Manohar said the campaign will focus on 24 major programmes and welfare initiatives implemented during the NDA’s 24 months in power. He said Union ministers will participate in several campaign events and added that Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan will soon announce the party’s Rajya Sabha nominee.Madhav said the alliance will also highlight major achievements, such as industrial investments, progress on the Polavaram project, the revival of Amaravati as the state capital, and the advancement of the Visakhapatnam railway zone.