After being sworn in as Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister for the fourth time, Chandrababu Naidu shared a memorable moment with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Following his oath, Mr Naidu approached PM Modi, and the two leaders embraced warmly, symbolizing the collaboration between the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the state government.
The swearing-in ceremony in Vijayawada saw the presence of several notable figures, including PM Modi’s cabinet members Amit Shah, Nitin Gadkari, and JP Nadda. The BJP had contested the Andhra elections in alliance with the TDP and Pawan Kalyan’s Jana Sena Party. Pawan Kalyan was also inducted as a minister during the event.
The alliance proved highly successful, winning 164 out of 175 seats in the Andhra Pradesh Assembly. This included 135 seats for TDP, 21 for Jana Sena, and 8 for BJP. In the simultaneous national elections, the coalition secured 21 of Andhra Pradesh’s 25 seats, decisively defeating the YSR Congress Party. The TDP’s support was instrumental for the BJP in forming a coalition government at the national level after falling short of a majority.
In the newly formed Modi 3.0 cabinet, the TDP has been allocated a cabinet position and a Minister of State role. This alliance marked Chandrababu Naidu’s return to the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) after a six-year hiatus, following his departure in 2018 due to concerns over financial support for Andhra Pradesh.
