BJP and Chandrababu Naidu, inches short of an alliance

Hyderabad: The BJP has given one-time ally N Chandrababu Naidu 24 hours to sign on the dotted line for a new partnership, but privately, b...

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Hyderabad: The BJP has given one-time ally N Chandrababu Naidu 24 hours to sign on the dotted line for a new partnership, but privately, both sides say they are hoping to strike a deal that could amplify their celebrations for the Telugu New Year or Ugadi.

For weeks, both parties have been prevaricating over whether to jointly contest the national and state election.

What's keeping them apart is recent history and considerable geography.

There's been some quibbling over how many seats the BJP should get. 

But the stack of difference is over this: in Parliament, the BJP supported the law that calls for the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh. The region of Telangana will be carved out as its own state - a welcome decision here, but a deeply resented one in the other two regions of Andhra Pradesh - referred to as Seemandhra, who feel their interests have been betrayed because they will lose a hefty share of water, power and revenue.

In Telangana, the BJP has accrued some goodwill and its local leaders don't want an association with Mr Naidu, who was ambivalent about his support for a new state, and tried to convince the BJP not to support the bifurcation proposal in Parliament. 

For the same reason, Mr Naidu is popular in Seemandhra; the BJP isn't.

But Mr Naidu has spent 10 years out of power, and reportedly believes that if he ties up with the BJP, he could leverage some of the momentum that's being generated by Narendra Modi, the BJP's prime ministerial candidate, who is being forecast by opinion polls as the front-runner for the country's top job.

For the BJP, Mr Naidu's worth is boosted by the acknowledged strength and organizational skills of his party cadres in Andhra Pradesh.

The BJP-Naidu combo could also offer a potent challenge to the Congress and K Chandrasekhara Rao, who fronted the movement for Telangana. So far, talks between the Congress and KCR have not climaxed in an agreement.

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