Fact Check: Viral post claiming Amit Shah set conditions for alliance with the TDP is False

According to the viral claim, one of the three conditions set by the BJP is the TDP should not raise the "special category status," issue with the Centre which was promised to residual Andhra Pradesh, after bifurcation of state in 2014. The second condition talks about scrapping 4 per cent quota for Muslims after the formation of government in Andhra Pradesh to which the TDP should support while the third condition demands Naidu to extend his support for the privatization of Vizag steel Plant.

A post alleges that the BJP has set conditions for alliance with the TDP, with claims that Amit Shah promises to form the alliance if the TDP agrees to certain conditions

Fact Check:

While the talks are still on regarding alliance between the BJP, TDP, and Jana Sena, a viral claim noted that the BJP has set some conditions for a pre-poll tie-up with the TDP and the conditions falsely attributed to Amit Shah are misleading.

Specific keyword search targeting information related to the BJP-TDP alliance, conditions set by the BJP, and statements by Amit Shah for the Lok Sabha elections yielded no credible results. This lack of relevant information from reputable sources raises suspicions about the accuracy of the news circulating on this matter.

On March 7, 2024, TDP chief N. Chandrababu Naidu held a crucial meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi to discuss his party’s alliance with the BJP. Upon conducting a Google keyword search for 'BJP TDP alliance’, we found a news article by Mint that carried the same image as the viral one.

According to the article, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is set to contest the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in alliance with the TDP and Jana Sena.”Representatives from the Chandrababu Naidu-led party confirmed the tripartite alliance on Friday, indicating that the details are currently in the process of being finalized. The TDP was part of the NDA until 2018 but it walked out of the alliance over the special category status issue. Chandrababu Naidu's party is once again collaborating with the BJP to contest the AP assembly polls. Pawan Kalyan's Jana Sena Party has already tied up with TDP, so there will be a tripartite coalition in the Telugu state.

Moreover, using similar keyword search, we found another report by News18, which reported that sources indicate that the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) has reached an agreement to allocate six Lok Sabha seats to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and two Lok Sabha seats to the Jana Sena. Additionally, in a broader collaboration, the TDP may consider allocating 30 out of the 175 Assembly seats to the alliance partners. The specific distribution of these 30 seats will be decided in subsequent discussions between the TDP, BJP, and the Jana Sena.

We also checked the official social media pages of both the BJP and TDP but found no official announcement regarding the conditions or promises purportedly set by Amit Shah.

Hence, the claim suggesting specific conditions for a pre-poll alliance by Amit Shah is misleading. While an alliance between the BJP, TDP, and Jana Sena is confirmed, the mentioned conditions and promises are misleading as no such requirement was put forth by the BJP.