BJP try to woo former ally AIADMK and BJD.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is looking for new partners to join hands and taking the first step in this direction, according to party sources.
Senior BJP leader L K Advani and Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi, who are in Chennai to attend an event organised by Tamil political weekly ‘Thuglaq’, are expected to meet Tamil Nadu chief minister and All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) chief J Jayalalithaa and discuss the possibility of an alliance between the two parties.
“Repeated efforts are being made to make both BJP and AIADMK leaders sit together and discuss the probability of an alliance. Since two senior leaders of the party are in Tamil Nadu, the issue will definitely be discussed between the two sides. Although there would be no official announcement immediately, this would be the first step towards an alliance between BJP and AIADMK,” said a senior BJP leader.
Both Advani and Modi share a personal rapport with Jayalalithaa. Modi had attended the swearing-in ceremony of Jayalalithaa as the chief minister last year and he was the only BJP leader to attend the ceremony. Advani, too, is in touch with Jayalalithaa. He often speaks to her on telephone from Delhi.
Jayalalithaa had sent two of her senior leaders to Ahmedabad when Modi organised a fast to start the Sadbhavna yatra across Gujarat. BJP leaders said Modi also never failed to visit Jayalalithaa whenever he visited the state.
Meanwhile, the BJP leadership is also eyeing another former ally, Biju Janata Dal (BJD). With 14 members of Parliament, BJD could be a strong alliance partner. The chief minister of Orissa and BJD chief, Naveen Patnaik, is in Delhi for six days, leading to speculations that he could possibly speak to his former friends. During a visit to Orissa, Advani had said nothing could be ruled out.
“We are not looking for any alliance partner immediately. We have a good understanding with BJP inside Parliament. We will have to see how this understanding between the two parties takes shape in future,” said a senior BJD leader.
