Union Minister of State Anupriya Patel, Ramdas Athawale and JD(U) MP Dileshwar Kamait during the all-party meeting, at Parliament House in New Delhi on July 21, 2024.
| Photo Credit: ANI

The Janata Dal (United), a key BJP ally which heads the government in Bihar, has strongly argued for a special financial package for the State to be granted during the Budget Session of Parliament that begins from July 22, since the government has already ruled out the grant of special category status. The JD(U) made its demand at Sunday’s all-party meeting.

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However, the BJP’s other major ally, the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), which is in power in Andhra Pradesh remained ambivalent on the issue, only seeking financial support from the Centre on various “legacy” issues dogging the State.

According to sources, back-channel talks are on between the BJP and its allies on this issue. With Bihar going to the polls in a year, the JD(U) has told the BJP in no uncertain terms that Bihar must get significant financial aid from the Centre for the ruling National Democratic Alliance to have a fair shot in next year’s Assembly election.

Reciprocity expected

The JD(U) already made a concession for the BJP, climbing down from its long-standing demand for special category status only. A resolution was passed at the JD(U)‘s last national executive meeting in Delhi, stating that Bihar needs either a special category status or a special financial package. The JD(U) now expects a reciprocal gesture from the BJP.

It was JD(U) leader Sanjay Jha who raised the issue during the all-party meeting. “We reiterated our demand for special category status in the meeting. Our leader and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has addressed public rallies from Gandhi Maidan to Ramlila ground on the issue. We also said that if on some technical grounds, they are unable to accord Bihar this status, they should grant a special package. We hope that in the upcoming Budget, the government will consider it,” Mr. Jha said.

Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) president and Union Minister Chirag Paswan also raised the same demand at the all-party meet.

YSRCP-TDP tussle

Unlike the JD(U), the TDP did not explicitly spell out its demand for “special category status” or a “special package” for Andhra Pradesh, but spoke at length on the precarious economic condition that the State finds itself in. The TDP’s equivocation on the issue gave a handle to its political rivals, the YSR Congress Party, which has framed special category status as the “only solution for the development of Andhra Pradesh.”

“We want enough time, so that all the financial issues concerning Andhra Pradesh can be placed in Parliament. It is not a question of this or that demand. There are several legacy issues. We will be presenting a white paper on the dire financial condition that the State finds itself in so that every political party understands our situation,” Lavu Sri Krishna Devarayalu, the TDP’s parliamentary party leader told The Hindu.

Slamming the TDP’s attitude, YSRCP leader Vijay Sai Reddy told journalists that he had raised the need for “special category status” for Andhra Pradesh during the all-party meet. “We have been demanding special category status. It is not a new demand; we have been raising it right from the day it was promised by then-Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in the Rajya Sabha. It is the only solution for the development of Andhra Pradesh. The TDP ignoring the issue and asking for an incentive or additional funds is not acceptable,” he said.

‘No more special category States’

The Biju Janata Dal also raised the demand for special category status for Odisha during the all-party meeting. BJD leader Sasmit Patra said that was a two-decade-old demand that Odisha has been continuously pleading for. The concept of a ‘special category status’ was introduced in 1969 by the Planning Commission during the Fourth Five-Year Plan. It extends tax incentives for investors and also increases the Centre’s financial share in all centrally sponsored schemes, considerably lightening the State government’s burden. However, consecutive Finance Commissions have ruled out extending the status to any States beyond those who already enjoy it.

Amravati, Andhra Pradesh:

The National Democratic Alliance in Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday released its joint manifesto for the upcoming polls in the state wherein they promised to offer Rs 1500 monthly pension to eligible women.

The Telugu Desam Party, Jana Sena and BJP combine also promised to offer Rs 3000 monthly financial assistance to unemployed youth.

Releasing the manifesto, Janasena chief Pawana Kalyan said the manifesto is an amalgamation of TDP’s “super six” and his party’s “Shanmukha Vyuham”.

The TDP had earlier announced “super six” which promised to offer free bus travel to women, three free cooking gas cylinders to every household per year and Rs 15,000 to every school-going child per annum, among others.

Janasena, TDP and BJP are NDA alliance partners in the southern state.

As part of a seat sharing deal among NDA partners, TDP was allocated 144 Assembly and 17 Lok Sabha constituencies while BJP will contest from six Lok Sabha and 10 Assembly seats.

Janasena will contest two Lok Sabha and 21 Assembly seats.

Elections for the 175-member Assembly and 25 Lok Sabha seats in Andhra Pradesh are scheduled on May 13 and the counting of votes will be held on June 4. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

TDP-BJP-JSP alliance’s Payakaraopeta Assembly segment candidate Vangalapudi Anitha recently campaigning in Odisha to woo migrant voters, who settle there for their livelihood..
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

The YSR Congress Party(YSRCP) and the Telugu Desam Party(TDP) have been striving for the victory of their candidates in the Scheduled Caste reserved Payakaraopeta Assembly Constituency (PAC) in Anakapalli district.

Kambala Jogulu is the nominee of the YSRCP while Vangalapudi Anitha is from the TDP-BJP-JSP alliance.

The YSRCP chose Mr. Jogulu, who is a sitting MLA of Rajam segment in Vizianagaram district), as the party candidate by replacing sitting MLA Golla Baburao, who was sent to the Rajya Sabha.

Ms. Anitha, who has gained prominence with her vehement criticism of Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy since 2019 as the Telugu Mahila State president, is testing her luck this time. She won from the Payakaraopeta Assembly constituency once in 2014 elections, but lost in 2019 as she was shifted to West Godavari district’s Kovvur Assembly segment.

The TDP-BJP-JSP seems to be trying to project Mr. Jogulu as a non-local candidate to mar his prospects in the election. The alliance party leaders are also expecting a bumper majority to their candidate Anitha.

“There is a tradition of electing leaders from outside Payakaraopeta Assembly constituency. The sitting MLA Baburao is also once a non-local as he hailed from East Godavari district. So, there will not be much impact of the non-local tag of Mr. Jogulu in the constituency. The YSRCP is confident that Mr. Jogulu will definitely win from the seat as he is a non-controversial politician and a four-time MLA,” said a senior party leader.

The constituency has a large number of fisherfolk, who have some crucial issues to be addressed by the elected contestants. Groundwater contamination is one of the major problems as there are two chemical plants located near the coastal villages in the segment. There are no proper higher educational institutions and drinking water facilities.

“So far it does not have a government degree college. Students have to rely on private institutions or go to nearby areas like Tuni to study in government colleges,” said a resident Prasad.

PAC was formed in 1951. It currently consists of four mandals namely Payakaraopeta, Nakkapalli, Kotauratla and S. Rayavaram. Raja Sagi Suryanarayana Raju was the first MLA elected as an independent candidate from Payakaropeta in 1952. He got 9,757 votes as against his rival candidate Sunkari Appala Naidu of Congress and won with a margin of 4,027 votes. Only 31,695 electors voted out of 63,155 for the first polling that was held on March 27 in 1952 for the Legislative Assembly of Madras.

Now, it has 2,48,702 general voters, including 1,22,402 males and 1,26,298 females. There are only two third gender voters. Service electors are 435 and NRI electors are six.