Hyderabad: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at latter’s residence in New Delhi on Tuesday triggering speculation that the YSR Congress Party may join the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
Though according to CMO sources the AP CM met the PM to discuss the development of the state, speculation is rife that YSRCP may join NDA owing to the fact that this meeting with PM comes just two weeks after Mr Reddy’s meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah on September 23 and 24. During the meeting Shah is believed to have placed a formal request before Jagan to join the NDA. It is also believed that BJP would want more partners in the NDA after the exit of the Shiv Sena and the Shiromani Akali Dal. Political experts believe that Jagan’s party would be offered berths for a cabinet minister and a junior minister in return for his support to NDA. Meanwhile, TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu has also alleged that Jagan wants to strike a deal with the centre for going easy on the CBI cases against him.
However, YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) has rebuffed the claims saying the party does not have any plans of joining the NDA.
Political experts are of the view that with 28 MPs – 22 in Lok Sabha and six in Rajya Sabha, YSRC could make BJP’s life easier in Parliament. It must be recalled that YSRCP had voted for farm bills in the just-concluded session.