NDA finalises seat-sharing in Andhra Pradesh: BJP gets 6 LS, 10 assembly seats; TDP 17 and 144
Amaravati (Andhra Pradesh) (PTI): Andhra Pradesh NDA partners finalised their seat-sharing formula for the Lok Sabha and state polls following a marathon discussion on Monday, under which the BJP will contest six Lok Sabha and 10 assembly seats while the TDP will fight 17 parliamentary and 144 state seats.
Under the deal, Pawan Kalyan's JanaSena will contest two Lok Sabha and 21 assembly seats, TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu announced after the meeting.
Senior BJP leader and Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat went into a huddle with TDP supremo Naidu and JanaSena chief Kalyan in Amaravati to finalise seat-sharing for the upcoming Parliamentary and Assembly elections.
"In Amaravati today, the BJP, TDP and JSP (Janasena) forged a formidable seat-sharing formula. With this significant step, the people of Andhra Pradesh now stand on the threshold of reclaiming our state and paving the way for a brighter future. I humbly call upon my people of Andhra Pradesh to shower their blessings upon this alliance, and grant us a historic mandate to serve them," said Naidu in a post on X.
The state has 25 Lok Sabha and 175 assembly seats.
JanaSena was initially supposed to contest 24 assembly and three Lok Sabha seats, but in the seat-sharing formula it got 21 assembly and two Lok Sabha seats, after the TDP joined the NDA alliance recently.
The 2024 polls will be the first time the three parties are contesting the polls together. Back in 2014, when TDP and BJP fought the polls together, JanaSena was their outside ally.
The TDP and JanaSena have announced the names of 100 candidates already, and Naidu said the respective parties will name other candidates soon.
According to the TDP supremo, the Monday brainstorming exercise sought to forge a formidable combination of seats for every alliance partner that truly represents the people of Andhra Pradesh and their aspirations.
Meanwhile, TDP sources said that the state's opposition party have invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to attend an election meeting which could take place between March 17 and 20.
"We have invited Modi for the meeting, mostly he will come for the meeting, date is not yet finalised. We proposed March 17 but a day here and there, mostly Modi will be there. Between March 17 and 20 it will happen. That will be a good way to kick off the campaign. Modi, Naidu, Pawan, all together," the sources added.
Another TDP source emphasised that if Modi participates in this meeting, it could be the first time in a decade that Modi, Naidu and Kalyan would be sharing stage.
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Jharkhand Education Minister Ramdas Soren passes away at 62
Ranchi, Aug 15 (PTI): Jharkhand Education Minister Ramdas Soren died on Friday, JMM national spokesperson Kunal Sarangi said.
He was 62.
Soren was undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Delhi, where he was admitted on August 2.
"State Education Minister Ramdas Soren, who was undergoing treatment at a hospital in Delhi, is no more," Sarangi told PTI.
Soren's condition was critical and he was on life support, Sarangi said.
The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader was airlifted to the hospital in the national capital from Jamshedpur after he fell in the bathroom of his residence on August 2.
A multidisciplinary team of senior specialists was closely monitoring his condition and providing intensive medical care.
Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren condoled his death.
Hemant Soren, in a post on X, wrote, "Ramdas Da (brother) should not have left us like this. Last greetings to Dada..."
Ramdas Soren, born in Ghorabandha village in East Singhbhum district on January 1, 1963, began his political journey as the gram pradhan of the Ghorabanda panchayat, eventually rising to become one of the most influential ministers in the Hemant Soren-led cabinet.
He won the Ghatshila assembly seat for the third time in 2024 by defeating BJP's Babulal Soren, son of former chief minister Champai Soren.
ऐसे छोड़ कर नहीं जाना था रामदास दा...
— Hemant Soren (@HemantSorenJMM) August 15, 2025
अंतिम जोहार दादा... pic.twitter.com/5cKZkpIe9Z
