Capital issue: BJP, Jana Sena to hold 'crucial meeting'

The BJP and Jana Sena will hold a 'crucial meeting' in Vijayawada on January 16 to chalk out their future course of action as they have decided to work together once again, in the wake of the prevailing unrest in Andhra Pradesh over the proposed 'three capitals' issue.

"We are holding a crucial meeting here on Thursday in which leaders of the two parties will take part," Jana Sena Political Affairs Committee chairman Nadendla Manohar said.

The meeting is a follow-up to the interaction between BJP national working president J P Nadda and Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan in New Delhi two days ago.

Jana Sena, which was formed in March 2014, supported the BJP-TDP combine in the general elections that year but subsequently fell out with the two parties.

Eventually, the TDP too parted ways with the BJP and they fought the 2019 polls separately and lost comprehensively.

In the changed political scenario in Andhra Pradesh, particularly with unrest growing over the Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy governments plan to have three capitals for the state, the coming together of BJP and Jana Sena is seen as a significant move.

That could also have a strong bearing on the coming elections to rural and urban local bodies.

Both parties will now launch a joint agitation against the capital relocation and also fight the coming elections to local bodies together, sources said.

While Pawan Kalyan and Manohar will represent the Sena, state president Kanna Lakshminarayana, Rajya Sabha member G V L Narasimha Rao and party state in charge Sunil Deodhar will represent the BJP at Thursdays meeting.