NEW DELHI: While TDP may be strategising to expand its base, its success is not guaranteed.
While TDP may be strategising to expand its base to Telangana, the rate of success might not be a lot
After a massive victory in the Assembly elections, the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) led by Chandrababu Naidu is said to be planning the expansion of the party in Telangana in order to develop a bigger political network in the South and increase the party’s presence among a wider electorate.
According to party leaders, Naidu had talked about the expansion of his party in Telangana before the elections. A TDP leader said, “How much focus the party leadership would be willing to put into it is a question mark. Another thing is whether they are going to expand the party at all. Do they have substantial human resources to kickstart their expansion ? Or will the expansion be just for namesake ?”
Currently, according to insiders, the party is working on transferring beaureaucrats in different departments so that the administrative functioning can be smooth. The practice is supposed to take around two months after which the party would give another thought to the expansion plan. A party insider said, “Naidu has made promises. He has made bigger promises than the ex-Chief Minister had made the last time in the 2019 Assembly elections. He has promised twice as much as Jagan had made. And when Jagan was not able to fulfil these promises, it is difficult for Naidu to be able to do so. So the expansion can only happen if the government is set into motion and administration goes on smoothly as planned by Naidu.”
A TDP leader holding an official position in the party said, “Now we are in alliance with the BJP and the party has spread its political network in Telangana very well. It is in a competing position and can stand equally against the parties in the state. We as a minor party will have to start from the beginning and it will be done through an alliance with the BJP. Whatever decisions we are going to take in the state will be in coordination with the BJP.”
However, analysts believe that for TDP to emerge as a party between the two national camps of Congress and the BJP will be tough as a third party cannot gain ground without a trigger point when two big parties clash . A political analyst in Telangana said, “The people had been trusting only one party and that is BRS. But now the two parties, Congress and the BJP, have emerged almost together and the acceptance quotient of them has also increased. They have not tested BJP in power yet and Congress has had its government for the first time. If for the next time, people want to vote for change, they will vote for the BJP as there is greater memory footprint among the electorate for the saffron camp, TDP stands nowhere. Therefore, the party could just have an expansion for say, it may not be able to gain any substantial political ground.”