Dissident YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) Member of Parliament K. Raghu Ramakrishna Raju said on January 13 that he was prepared to contest as a candidate of the TDP-Jana Sena Party (JSP) alliance in the general elections from the Narsapuram constituency, and asserted that the BJP would join the alliance sooner than later for the common cause of defeating the YSRCP.

Addressing the media at Ravulapalem on the way to Narsapuram (which he now represents in the Lok Sabha), Mr. Ramakrishna Raju said he had been saying that the three parties (the TDP, the JSP and the BJP) needed to wage a collective battle against the YSRCP, and was confident about the BJP coming forward for that cause.

JSP president Pawan Kalyan’s comment that his party’s alliance with the TDP had the blessings of Prime Minister Narendra Modi was an indication that it was going to be a three-party alliance. This would become clear after the consecration of the Ayodhya Ram Mandir on January 22, Mr. Ramakrishna Raju stated.

Court protection

Earlier, Mr. Ramakrishna Raju reached Rajahmundry airport from New Delhi on a visit to his constituency after a gap of more than four years, under the protection given to him by the Andhra Pradesh High Court from the likely arrest in various cases registered by the police.

He had been a vocal critic of the government’s policy decisions and the manner in which the YSRCP treated the opposition parties since late 2019. The spat took a grim turn with his arrest in a sedition case in May 2021 and his alleged custodial torture. He eventually came out on bail granted by the Supreme Court.