Chandrababu emerges NDA’s standby PM candidate

HYDERABAD: In an unexpected development that is raising eyebrows, Telugu Desam Party(TDP) president N Chandrababu Naidu is emerging as the NDA's consensus candidate asPrime Minister in the event of the BJP failing to get more than 200 parliamentary seats on its own, revealed top leaders privy to the development.

Leaders said along with a formal pre-poll alliance between BJP and TDP, the formal announcement on Naidu emerging as the dark horse will come after Parliament session ends. With more than 200 seats on its own Narendra Modi will be the clear PM favorite. "It would be difficult for us to see Modi at the helm in case we fail to cross the 200 mark. While we are hopeful of getting more than 200 seats, it is practical to have plan B and leaders like Chandrababu Naidu would be the natural choice, going by his acceptance," said a top BJP leader who commented that he would be expelled by his party if he is named.

Naidu is likely to contest the parliamentary polls either from Malkajgiri in Ranga Reddy district or Hindupur in Anantapur district.

"It is for sure that Chandrababu Naidu is going to play a pivotal role in government formation at the Centre. And we are not denying the fact that he is the prime ministerial candidate. As the dynamics of the pre-poll coalition are being worked out, Naidu rightfully tops the list of consensus candidates for the PM post," said senior TDP legislator A Revanth Reddy.

While he himself is among the aspirants to run for the Lok Sabha from Malkajgiri, Revanth Reddy said he would work for Naidu in the constituency if he prefers to contest from that constituency."As it is likely that Naidu would contest from Malkajgiri, I will be one of his campaign managers," added Revanth Reddy.BJP leaders said it was important that Naidu be on their side in the post-poll scenario while the party faces an uphill task to win over the coalition partners with Narendra Modi being the prime ministerial nominee.

Veteran BJP leader M Venkaiah Naidu told TOI that the coalition scenario would get clearer once there was clarity on Telangana, which he expects after the Parliament session ends. "We are waiting for the Telangana issue to be settled before going for the formalities of the coalition. Andhra Pradesh is one of the most important states for us because we have strong old partners here," said Venkaiah Naidu.BJP insiders said internal political dynamics in the party was also aimed at reining in Modi. They said Naidu's prime ministerial candidature was strongly being projected by the camps opposed to the Gujarat chief minister. They said leaders including L K Advani, Sushma Swaraj, and Arun Jaitley are in touch with Naidu.

As Naidu called on Advani and Sushma in Delhi on Tuesday, the BJP leaders said there was more to the meeting as it is being perceived as the TDP leader's bid to stop the Congress from going ahead with the bifurcation of AP for its political gains. .Sources said Naidu was in touch with the JD(U), which is vehemently opposing Modi as prime minister

Going by the positive response he was getting, the BJP leaders said Naidu would prove a good leader to rope in the coalition partners in the post-poll scenario.As united AP has 42 seats, the TDP is hopeful of emerging the single largest party in Seemandhra, which sends 25 MPs to the Lok Sabha. The party is pinning its hope on Chandrabau Naidu who is claiming to have turned the tide on the division issue by convincing the BJP not to support the Telangana Bill in its present form.

Congress eyeing a 'loyal' Lokpal: BJP

NEW DELHI: After opposing senior advocate PP Rao's inclusion in the Lokpal selection panel, leader of opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swarajon Tuesday said she would request PresidentPranab Mukherjee to convince the government that the panel be formed unanimously and not by majority vote. 

This comes after she gave a written dissent on Rao, who was recommended as an eminent jurist on the panel by PM Manmohan Singh, Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar and Chief Justice of India's nominee Justice H L Dattu. Swaraj's objection to Rao was that "he was too much of aCongress loyalist," which she communicated to the PM at Monday's meeting. 

While a four-member panel headed by the PM recommends the name of an eminent jurist to be part of the selection committee to pick the Lokpal, the President appoints the member. 

Unhappy with her experience at a meeting to choose the eminent jurist on Monday evening at Singh's residence, Swaraj said, "They (Congress) want to pack this body with their loyalists." 

Swaraj told reporters a meeting was called at 8 pm on Monday. At the meeting, a list of seven names that included Fali S Nariman, K Parasaran, P P Rao, Mohan Gopal, Chandrashekhar Pillai and two others were taken up, but the PM suggested Rao on his own and Kumar and Dattu accepted. Swaraj objected saying she thought Rao was not in the category of eminent jurist, so if it had to be from the list it could be Parasaran. 

Swaraj said the PM insisted that she agree to Rao, but she told him that he was known to be too much of a Congress loyalist. So when the panel went ahead and recommended Rao, Swaraj ensured that her dissent and that she favoured Parasaran was registered. Swaraj also suggested that the decision be delayed by a couple of days and the shortlist expanded to include people like Soli Sorabjee and Harish Salve among others, she told the media on Tuesday. 

"I feel that when the country is finally getting a Lokpal after 40 years, it should be a unanimous decision. It looks like the Lokpal will also be chosen in a manner which would ensure that he or she is a Congress loyalist. It is sad since people will have no faith in the Lokpal chosen in this manner." 

Chiranjeevi's Dream-praject Have Been True Now ???

When Chiranjeevi launched his Praja Rajyam Party in August 2008 and then made his electoral debut in 2009, he managed to get an impressive almost 16 per cent of the vote share. Not only because of his celebrity, but because he spoke about social justice and was backed by the Kapu community to which he belongs. Kapus make up a big 19 per cent of the population of undivided Andhra Pradesh. 

The actor has dreamed of being Chief Minister since then. 

Elections 2014 - 44 days left

who will win 2014 elections in andhra pradesh

Andhra Pradesh's next chief minister mega star Chiranjeevi ???

The move to bifurcate Andhra Pradesh to create Telangana has thrown up changes that might just place the megastar in a position of advantage as the Congress scouts for a Chief Minister till the state elections due by May. 

The party's Kiran Kumar Reddy resigned last week to protest against the division of the state.