Accordingly the ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP) in Andhra Pradesh is doing its best to put up a Muslim friendly face ahead of the elections, after it parted ways with the BJP. Meanwhile ‘Nara hamara’, meaning AP Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu is a man of the Muslims, is a catchword promoted in the TDP boardroom in the run up to a state level convention of Muslims slated for August 28 in AP’s Guntur district.
Moreover the convention aims at projecting Naidu as a protector of Muslim interests by trying to pacify their ruffled feelings. Reports added the TDP has been blowing hot and cold towards Muslims ever since Naidu took over the party reins from founder and matinee idol NT Rama Rao. Furthermore the support of Muslims minorities, constituting 9-11% in AP, is crucial to any mainstream party fighting for power in the state.
The surveys carried out by independent agencies
during the previous election revealed that Muslims would decide the fate of
candidates in 22-25 Assembly segments out of 175 and could influence polls in
another 10 constituencies in the four districts of Rayalaseema and another four
coastal districts from Nellore to Krishna. Presently
Naidu has begun to
woo Muslims to make up for the loss his party is likely to suffer due to Jana
Sena leader Pawan Kalyan parting ways with the TDP..
