T’gana polls: Shah asks BJP, JSP to finalise seat sharing deal

Hyderabad: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Jana Sena Party (JSP) are set to hold seat-sharing talks for next month’s assembly elections in Telangana.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah has asked BJP state president G Kishan Reddy and JSP leader and actor Pawan Kalyan to work together for Telangana polls. Kishan Reddy and Pawan Kalyan met Amit Shah in Delhi on Wednesday evening. During the 40-minute long meeting, they discussed the possibility of electoral alliance for the November 30 election to the 119-member Telangana Assembly.

Shah is reported to have asked them to reach an agreement over seat sharing by Friday when he visits Hyderabad. Both the leaders agreed to hold talks within their parties and come out with concrete proposals.

JSP, a constituent of BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), has already stated that it wants to contest 32 seats in Telangana, mostly in undivided Hyderabad, Mahabubnagar, Khammam, Medak and Nalgonda districts.

Kishan Reddy along with party MP K Laxman had called on Pawan Kalyan in Hyderabad on October 18 requesting him to campaign for the party candidates. The JSP leader, however, informed them that his party plans to contest at least 30 seats. Pawan Kalyan told them that he would hold talks with the BJP’s central leaders.

On October 22, the BJP announced its first list of candidates for 52 constituencies including some segments which JSP is keen to contest. It remains to be seen how the two parties will address this issue. Sources in BJP said the party will have an alliance with only JSP and not with the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) in Telangana.