Naidu emerges kingmaker as TDP leads in 14 parliamentary seats
Chandrababu Naidu, the leader of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), is likely to emerge as the kingmaker at the national level with his party leading in 14 out of 17 contested Lok Sabha seats in Andhra Pradesh. The TDP is part of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) which appears to be crossing the majority mark, largely due to TDP's performance. This development positions Naidu for a political comeback after a five-year hiatus marked by legal troubles.
TDP dominates State Assembly, Naidu poised for return
In the state assembly elections, out of 175 seats, the TDP is leading in 99. The party's allies Jana Sena and BJP are leading in 15 and five seats respectively. This takes the NDA's total to 119 seats, overshadowing the YSR Congress party led by Jagan Reddy which is leading in only 15 seats. It is likely that Naidu will return as the chief minister of the state after his previous tenure from 2014 to 2019.
Naidu's political journey
To recall, Naidu was initially allied with the NDA government from 2014 to 2019. However, he parted ways before the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, joining the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance, only to face defeat in both Lok Sabha and assembly elections. Following these losses, he distanced himself from the Congress and rejoined the NDA in March 2024, just before the announcement of the national elections.
Voter turnout and polling patterns in recent elections
The recent elections witnessed an unprecedented voter turnout of 81.86%, surpassing the previous record of 79.68% from the 2019 general elections, despite incidents of violence and disruptions. The polling pattern revealed a clear distinction between rural and urban participation, with rural areas significantly outperforming urban ones.
