The alliance talks between the TDP and Jana Sens are inconclusive. The Jana Sena is asking for 50 Assembly seats and 3 Parliament seats in alliance with the TDP. However, the TDP is ready to give 25 Assembly seats and one Parliament seat.
The Jana Sena leaders are strongly lobbying for 50 Assembly seats for the party in the alliance. They believe that the party is strong with the increased strength for the coming elections. The party is strong mostly in the undivided two Godavari districts.
The party wants at least 30 Assembly seats in the two districts and is confident of winning all of them at one go. The remaining 20 seats are in Krishna, Guntur, Prakasam, Nellore and Chittoor districts. The party is not so sure about its victory in these districts but is double confident in the two undivided Godavari districts.
Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan held a long discussion with TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu a couple of weeks ago. They both discussed their joint manifesto besides sharing the seats. Sources say that Chandrababu Naidu had offered 25 Assembly seats and one parliament seat to the Jana Sena.
It is said that Pawan Kalyan had then asked for 30 Assembly seats and two parliament seats. However, after going back to the party cadre, particularly after holding interaction with the party leaders in Kakinada in the last week of December, Pawan Kalyan is said to have changed his mind on the number of seats.
He is now asking for 50 Assembly seats and three parliament seats. He is not ready to compromise anything less than what he had asked for. He is sending feelers to the TDP leaders to give as many seats as they are asking if they want the alliance to continue.
The TDP leadership is of the opinion that Pawan Kalyan cannot break the alliance at this point of time and would accept whatever the number of seats offered to him. Pawan Kalyan might hold a brief protest on the number of seats but would accept whatever is given to him, feel the TDP leaders.
The TDP leaders also feel that Jana Sena would not win more than five Assembly seats and wonder why they should be given 50 seats. “The alliance should help both the parties to win the election not to lose,” is what the TDP leaders say.
It is to be seen what number Pawan Kalyan would settle down for and what number the TDP would offer them, when the talks are held finally in the coming two weeks.
