This Article is From Mar 11, 2014

BJP and Chandrababu Naidu ponder the pros of a partnership

Cutouts of Narendra Modi, Rajnath Singh, Arun Jaitley, Sushma Swaraj at the Nizam College Grounds in Hyderabad

Hyderabad: The BJP today held its first 'thanksgiving' meeting in Hyderabad, after India's 29th state of Telangana got the President's stamp. "We gave our word, we gave our support," party president Rajnath Singh told the crowd that had gathered at the Nizam College Grounds.

The party was clear it wanted credit for having supported the formation of the new state and hope the goodwill will translate into electoral gains.

Even as the BJP vies for credit in Telangana, it is telling people of Seemandhra - the regions which will form the residuary state after bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh - that it is because of the BJP that several projects and concessions have come their way.

At the meeting venue, there were big cutouts of Narendra Modi, Rajnath Singh, Arun Jaitley, Sushma Swaraj, state BJP president Kishan Reddy and also former Union minister Bandaru Dattatreya. But Venkaiah Naidu was conspicuous by his absence, both in person and on the poster space. Mr Naidu is from Nellore, which lies in the Seemandhra region.

The BJP is also considering talks with the Telugu Desam Party or TDP for a pre-poll alliance. Rajnath Singh, however, says, "As of now, we don't have any alliance in Andhra Pradesh. But as anywhere else in the country, no alliance can be ruled out."

TDP president Chandrababu Naidu is candid about who he thinks will make a better PM, but won't commit on alliances yet.

"Nobody is there to compete with him (Narendra Modi). Even the great Rahul Gandhi is nowhere," Mr Naidu said.

The state BJP president has not favoured a tie-up with Mr Naidu's party and the TDP too is worried that there is anger against the BJP in Seemandhra for having supported the Telangana Bill. So right now it is still open-ended whether it will be the slogan: "Modi for PM, Naidu for CM" or both will go their separate ways.

.