The BJP is disappointed with the number seats allotted to it in Andhra Pradesh by Telugu Desam leader and Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu. However, the party is reconciled to the agreement as it wants to keep Naidu in good humour for its larger national interests.Naidu and BJP general secretary Pramod Mahajan reached an agreement yesterday in which the BJP got nine of the 42 Lok Sabha seats and 27 of the 294 Assembly seats. Tomorrow, leaders of both parties are expected to identify the seats that will be contested by the BJP.BJP chief Venkaiah Naidu said: ‘‘I am happy about the alliance though it is not fully up to our expectations. In politics, it is always a give-and-take, and then, TDP has always been our reliable ally. Ultimately for us, it is not a question of nine Lok Sabha and 27 Assembly seats but 42 (Lok Sabha) and 294 (Assembly), which we are jointly contesting.’’State BJP chief Indrasena Reddy had said the BJP needed a bigger share this time as its strength had gone up. In private, party leaders talked of at least 10 Lok Sabha and 45 Assembly seats.An important state leader told The Indian Express today that ‘‘Babu (the Andhra CM) doesn’t want BJP to grow in the state. He suspects once we grow beyond a certain limit, we would compete with him for space. Therefore, he has given us just two Assembly seats more than last time.’’Another leader said: ‘‘Our national leaders are keen on getting more Lok Sabha seats. They have told us — don’t clamour for more Assembly constituencies because in any case, you are not going to form a government in the state.’’
