Eyeing 400-plus seats, BJP courts new allies as BJD, TDP set to join NDA
BJD and TDP walking into the NDA fold close on the heels of JDU and RLD, the old BJP-led grouping in the Atal-Advani era is again taking shape as many of the erstwhile allies are set to be back. However, unlike the NDA-I government that was stitched together with the help of 24 parties and survival was at their mercy, BJP now needs these partners to meet its ambitious target of 400 plus seats in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Though BJP had got a clear majority in 2014 general elections with 182 seats, it followed the coalition dharma and inducted members from its alliance parties like SAD, TDP, and Shiv Sena. But within months it became clear that the these NDA partners had little say Modi government and fissures appeared in the Assembly elections between BJP and its allies in various states.
The post of NDA convenor had stayed with JDU for many years and Sharad Yadav had played this role after George Fernandes. However, with Nitish Kumar snapping ties with BJP in 2013, the post fell vacant and the saffron party filled in whenever any coordination had to be done. TDP Chief Chandrababu Naidu made a feeble attempt to don the convenor’s hat but was subtly eased out by the BJP.
Unlike the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government that had lost a trust vote by one vote in 1999 and depended on 24 parties for its survival from 1999 to 2004, the need for bringing back some long-lost allies has been felt by BJP to cross the 370-mark and ensure NDA breaches the 400-seat tally in the 18th Lok Sabha. Hence the hunt for new allies and
