BJP looks to bring old allies on board for 25 yrs of NDA

It’s an anniversary that came and went almost unnoticed. In early 1998, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) was formed. And it came to power in March that year, after the general elections.

- Sunetra Choudhury

Now, 25 years later, there appears to be an effort to bring back some of the original constituents of the alliance – not out of sentimentalism, but the cold calculus of electoral logic. Which would also mean that the opposition parties aren’t the only ones working on a grouping. HT has learnt that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the core and leader of the NDA, has been talking to the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), both constituents of the original alliance that have since exited it.

The TDP left the NDA in 2018 and the SAD exited the grouping in 2020. The SAD, in fact, was one of the earliest allies of the BJP – from 1996. HT learns that at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s request, talks are being conducted by Union home minister Amit Shah along with party president JP Nadda and organisation head BL Santhosh.

HT also learns that the BJP has reached out or plans to reach out to other constituents of the original NDA.

Last weekend TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu met Shah, although neither side issued a statement on what transpired.

But a BJP office-bearer confirmed that the party is in talks with potential allies, although this person added that “it is too early” to say anything. The discussions began earlier in the year, ahead of the 25th anniversary, stalled during the Karnataka elections, but have picked up pace since, said the person quoted above. A joint event to mark the anniversary belatedly may happen, the BJP office-bearer added.