A joke popular in informal circles about Chandrababu Naidu says that the prostration position (Sastanga Aasanam) is the most favourite posture of the TDP chief in yoga. Those familiar with his machinations also vouch this for a fact in the veteran leader’s 45 years of politics. His detractors ridicule him, saying the senior leader does not hesitate even to fall on the feet of the people that he would publicly abuse.

Political opponents in the two Telugu states gossip even today on how Chandrababu allegedly prostrated before P Chidambaram in the past to save his skin from graft proceedings. Coming to the present, Chandrababu Naidu is dashing off to Delhi now on a sudden visit, planned at the eleventh hour.

The mission is to somehow secure the consent of the Bharatiya Janata Party top leadership for a poll alliance with the TDP and Pawan Kalyan’s Jana Sena. Desperate to put up a stiff fight against YS Jaganmohan Reddy’s formidable YSRCP – if not defeat it – Chandrababu Naidu is even ready to prostrate before the influential leaders of the national party.

Despite being a force to reckon with across the country, the BJP is still a minnow in Andhra Pradesh politics. Its vote share in 2019 elections was less than one percent.

Still, the TDP chief is not willing to discount the saffron party in his all-out efforts to come to power in what is perhaps his last elections. Naidu’s craving for the BJP in the alliance mix is driven by the fear that the collective strength of the TDP and Jana Sena is not enough to take on mighty Jagan and his party. Also, he feels that aligning with the ruling party at the Centre will keep the YSRCP under check.

As an added incentive, there will be a better fund-flow with fewer headaches from the Election Commission and other government agencies in the runup to the crucial elections.

With just a couple of months away from polls, Naidu had initially entrusted the task of roping in the BJP to Pawan Kalyan. But, with the central leaders remaining cold and silent to the Jana Sena chief’s overtures, Naidu has now taken it upon himself to break the ice and make his ‘dream alliance’ work before it’s too late.

Sources reveal that Chandrababu Naidu, during his Delhi visit, is willing to sacrifice six Lok Sabha seats and 10 Assembly seats to accommodate the BJP. What’s more, he is ready to increase these numbers further, if there are stiffer demands from the national party.

It is speculated that Chandrababu Naidu initiated his Delhi outreach at the behest of a few influential mediators. There are no reports to suggest that he is visiting the national capital on any invite for alliance talks. If Naidu succeeds in coaxing the BJP into the alliance, he will feel triumphant for bringing together the cream of the opposition against YS Jagan. But that happiness is only going to be short-lived as the development is expected to open a can of worms on the ground.

Already, the seat-sharing issue has become a bone of contention between the TDP and the Jana Sena. Chandrababu Naidu and Pawan Kalyan are yet to arrive at an agreement on the issue even after multiple marathon sessions of brainstorming.

There is equal pressure on Chandrababu Naidu from his own TDP leaders and cadre who are cautioning against giving away too much leeway to the Jana Sena. Feelers are being sent out through the TDP crony media that Jana Sena does not deserve more than 27 or 30 Assembly seats and three Lok Sabha seats.

Conceding to Pawan Kalyan on his demand for anywhere near 60 Assembly seats would only be suicidal for the TDP, they feel. Riding on the Kapu sentiment, a similar mood within the Jana Sena is also giving its leader sleepless nights. The Jana Sainiks and the Kapu community torchbearers supporting Pawan Kalyan like Chegondi Hariramajogaiah are hell-bent on the Jana Sena contesting in at least one-third of the total 175 seats.

The veteran leader came up with a scathing attack on Pawan Kalyan following the latter’s fruitless meeting recently with Chandrababu Naidu. In an open letter, Hariramajogaiah took the Jana Sena chief to task for failing to secure Naidu’s commitment for a half-term chief-ministership to his party.

Despite the visible pressures, there are whispers that Pawan Kalyan will eventually agree to any number of seats that Chandrababu Naidu decides for Jana Sena. His detractors accuse Pawan Kalyan of being fully aware of his and his party’s weaknesses more than their perceived ground strength.

On the other hand, Chandrababu Naidu’s outreach presents a great opportunity to the BJP which has been evasive on aligning with the TDP in Andhra Pradesh. The party has also been maintaining stoic silence even when their alliance partner Pawan Kalyan unilaterally announced his poll tie-up with the TDP. Chandrababu’s desperation now puts the BJP in a position of assertion either to accept or reject the proposal, all at its own terms.

Speculative reports claim that the central leadership of the BJP, especially its strongman Amit Shah, has readied dossiers from intelligence and other sources. He is armed with the data on the pockets where his party is likely to perform well and the candidates with good prospects.

It is said that, if Chandrababu Naidu manages to sit across the table, then Amit Shah is expected to use this data to his party’s advantage. He may insist on a minimum of 10 Lok Sabha seats and 10 Assembly seats as part of the coalition arrangement with the TDP and Jana Sena.

This is only going to add yet another sub-plot to the already messy seat-sharing conundrum between the TDP and the Jana Sena. Looks like, Chandrababu Naidu has a mountain to climb and a troubling challenge on hand that he may not control anymore..!