The NDA alliance has clinched 21 out of the 25 Lok Sabha seats in Andhra Pradesh. The Telugu Desam Party (TDP), which leads the alliance in the State, clinched 16 out of the 17 seats that it contested, Jana Sena 2 (out of 2) and BJP 3 (out of six).

The TDP, which joined very late to the NDA alliance, emerged as a major player, giving the alliance a much-needed booster shot. With the BJP falling short of the magic figure, the TDP’s support turns crucial for the alliance to form the Government at the Centre. From just three in the 2019 elections, the alliance increased its tally to 21, pushing the YSRCP to just 4 (which won 22 in 2019).

Almost all the alliance partners recorded huge margins. The list includes Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu, Kesineni Chinni, M Bharat (son-in-law of film actor Nandamuri Balakrishna), Daggubati Purandheswari (sister-in-law of Chandrababu Naidu) and Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy.

Chinni defeated his elder brother Nani (YSRCP) with a majority of 2.80 lakhs, while Pemmasani Chandrashekar won from the Guntur constituency with a margin of 3.80 lakhs. Purandheswari (BJP) won with a margin of 2.39 lakhs from Rajahmundry.

The YSRCP failed to offer any resistance as the NDA alliance swept the election with unprecedented support from the voters.

At the time of filing the report, the Election Commission of India has confirmed the victories of only three candidates. Though the NDA has established its position with comfortable majorities in the State, the official notification is yet to come.

The numbers give the TDP a say in the national politics. With the BJP falling short of the magic figure and the NDA alliance likely to finish the tally with a wafer-thin margin, all eyes are on the TDP.

It will be the third time for the party in the last 40 years to play a crucial role in a national alliance. While the party’s founder N T Rama Rao led the National Front in the late 1980s, Chandrababu Naidu led the United Front in the 1990s and became a trusted associate of the then Prime Minister A B Vajpayee.

Naidu is likely to go to New Delhi to take part in the post-poll meeting of the NDA alliance partners. Attendee panel closed