Amaravati, Oct 6: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan held discussions on Tuesday over seat-sharing and election strategy for the upcoming rural and urban local body polls in the state.
Pawan Kalyan attended a breakfast hosted by Naidu at his official residence in Undavalli. Minister Nara Lokesh, Naidu’s son, was also present during the meeting. The breakfast was followed by a detailed discussion between the two leaders that lasted around two hours.
The talks reportedly focused on the distribution of seats among the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) partners, particularly the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and Jana Sena Party. Naidu is the national president of the TDP, while Pawan Kalyan heads the Jana Sena.
The two leaders are understood to have discussed the number of seats their respective parties could contest in the local body elections. They also discussed the sharing of key positions, including mayor and deputy mayor posts in important municipal corporations.
The meeting also covered coordination among the NDA partners and the broader strategy for the civic polls. The alliance is expected to work towards a coordinated approach once the election schedule is announced, with discussions on seat adjustments involving the BJP as well.
The likely seat-sharing formula is expected to take into account the respective strength of the alliance partners in the Andhra Pradesh Assembly. The 2024 Assembly election resulted in the NDA partners winning 164 of the 175 seats, with the TDP securing 135, Jana Sena 21 and BJP eight seats.
BJP state president P.V.N. Madhav is also expected to meet Naidu separately to discuss the party’s share in the local body elections, according to reports.
The discussions come soon after an important Andhra Pradesh High Court order concerning the conduct of local body elections. On October 1, the court directed the state government and the State Election Commission to expeditiously begin the process for elections to Panchayat Raj Institutions and Urban Local Bodies, preferably within six weeks.
The court also held that the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls could not be used as a reason to postpone local body elections. It directed that the election process should proceed in accordance with the applicable legal framework.
The local body polls will cover rural institutions as well as municipalities and urban local bodies. With the High Court setting a timeframe for beginning the election process, the ruling alliance has accelerated discussions on seat distribution, candidate selection and coordination.
The latest meeting between Naidu and Pawan Kalyan is expected to be followed by further consultations among the NDA partners as they work out their respective electoral arrangements ahead of the local body elections.
