Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, who is trying to stitch an alliance of all non-BJP parties, met Congress chief Rahul Gandhi and other opposition leaders in Delhi today. Mr Naidu, who had a bitter history with the Congress, declared that it was a "democratic compulsion" to join hands in order to take on the ruling BJP in the 2019 national election. "We have a past," agreed Rahul Gandhi, fielding questions in a joint press meet with Mr Naidu outside his heavily protected Tughlaq Lane home.
The preliminary discussions between the Congress and Mr Naidu's party have been conducted by state leaders and the two sides are trying to evolve a seat sharing formula. This will be the Congress' second key tie-up in the south. In May, the party had tied up with former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda's Janata Dal Secular to keep the BJP out of power in Karnataka.
Mr Naidu walked out of the NDA in March after failing to make any headway with his demand for special status for Andhra Pradesh. He has since taken up the role of a "facilitator" in evolving a united opposition. In that capacity, he has already met Aam Aadmi Party chief and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Dalit powerhouse Mayawati.
