Vijayawada: An interesting debate has emerged in political circles following the developments in West Bengal, where an unexpected realignment has pushed an otherwise little-known political outfit ahead of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) in terms of Lok Sabha strength among BJP allies.The merger of 20 Lok Sabha members into the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI), a relatively unknown party from Tripura, has temporarily made it as the biggest ally of the BJP in the Lok Sabha — TDP was the largest partner of BJP with 16 members in the Lok Sabha — and now occupies second position in terms of numbers after the ruling party (BJP).However, TDP leaders believe the latest development is unlikely to have any effect on the relationship between TDP and BJP. “The developments in West Bengal are completely different. They will not have any impact on our relationship with the BJP, or the NDA govt at the Centre,” said TDP spokesperson Neelayapalem Vijay Kumar.Political analysts too feel that it will not be easy for the BJP to ignore or sideline TDP due to its strong organisational base, committed vote share, and political influence in Andhra Pradesh. They further pointed out that the BJP is a relatively smaller player with around 2 percent vote share Andhra Pradesh, and In the current political scenario, TDP is its strongest ally not only in AP but in south India.While the BJP’s alliance with AIADMK in Tamil Nadu failed to make much impact in the recent assembly elections, the party is still searching for a strong political partner in Telangana. Though BJP has an alliance with Deve Gowda’s JD(S) in Karnataka, the party currently has limited representation with only two Lok Sabha members.A senior TDP leader said the party’s strength goes beyond its Lok Sabha numbers. “TDP already has 16 Lok Sabha members and four Rajya Sabha members. Its strength in the Rajya Sabha is expected to increase to around 10 members by 2028,” he said.Chief minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu’s experience and long association with leaders at the national level, and the strong working relationship built by TDP national working president and IT minister Nara Lokesh with BJP’s top leadership, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah, are being cited as key factors behind the party’s importance in the alliance.Naidu and Lokesh were specially invited for the swearing-in ceremony of Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and Bengal CM Suvendu Adhikari, while Lokesh recently received a personal invitation from Union agriculture minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan for his book release event in New Delhi.Political observers said while numerical strength is important in alliance politics, long-term political relationships, electoral influence, and regional strength also play a crucial role. For the BJP, TDP remains a significant partner due to its strong base in Andhra Pradesh and its relevance in south India.
