Why is Chandrababu Naidu cosying up to Narendra Modi?

With just four legislators in the Assembly, the BJP got two ministries in the N Chandrababu Naidu-led TDP-BJP Government in Andhra Pradesh.

In addition to this largesse, the TDP accommodated Nirmala Sitaraman, Union Minister of State for Commerce, as a Rajya Sabha candidate from the State.

With the TDP’s handsome majority of 106 seats in the 175-member Assembly, it has been a cakewalk for Sitaraman.

The TDP got one Cabinet berth (P Ashok Gajapati Raju, Civil Aviation) in the Narendra Modi-led NDA Government at the Centre. It is hoping to get a few more when the Cabinet is expanded.

What do these developments indicate? A strong bond between the two leaders and parties, or is there more to it?

At one level, it is definitely a case of growing closeness between the TDP and the BJP, which have done well in the 2014 elections, both Assembly and Lok Sabha, in AP. Even in Telangana, the TDP has done better than anticipated, while the BJP fell short of its expectations. Overall, they have managed a better performance than the Congress.

The TDP has also set its eyes on emerging as a national party by 2019. It wants to consolidate its position in Telangana and is eyeing a foray in Karnataka and Maharashtra, where there are pockets of Telugu speaking people.

To achieve this, Naidu knows that he has to perform in Andhra Pradesh and keep the cadres happy. Seeing how film star Pawan Kalyan made an impression during his political campaign in AP and Telangana, the TDP expects to rope him as well as the BJP in to expand its presence.

Also, given the political and economic realities facing AP, Naidu could use Central help to fulfil his poll promises, such as farm loan waiver and freebies, says political analysts. The bigger game plan is to get funds for building a new Capital and for various development projects.

Senior BJP leader Venkaiah Naidu, who fought for a better deal for Andhra Pradesh when the bifurcation bill was tabled in the Rajya Sabha, is now the Union Urban Development Minister. He has been supportive of projects here.

During the coalition government of the NDA led by Atal Behari Vajpayee (1998-2004), the TDP had at least four ministers and key officials in different ministries, which helped Naidu exercise considerable clout and get projects and funding for them in good measure.

In 2014, the realities are totally different. While Naidu does have impressive numbers, the Narendra Modi-led BJP, which has a clear majority, does not really need them for survival even though it is running a coalition government, too.

This only means Naidu has to work harder still to achieve all his goals.