The Telugu Desam Party has shown reluctance to sever its ties with the Bharatiya Janata Party till at least the Andhra Pradesh civic polls are held sometime in September this year.
Neither the TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu nor the political resolution adopted at the party's three-day annual convention (Mahanadu), that ended on Monday, made any reference to the issue.
Instead, Naidu chose to target the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government at the Centre and the Congress-Telangana Rashtra Samithi regime in the state for the anti-democratic and anti-people policies pursued by them in the past one year.
The second Mahanadu after the TDP lost power in May 2004 turned out to be a tame affair. The political resolution spelt out the party's views on coalition politics, centre-state relations, role of governors, World Trade Organisation and relations with India's neighbours.
The resolution recalled that the TDP contested the 1998 Lok Sabha elections without an alliance and its numbers played a crucial role in forming the government.
Naidu, who was re-elected as party president for the sixth consecutive term, went rhetorical on the issue of TDP's ties with other parties.
"Some parties think that TDP is dependent on them but we are moving ahead by banking on people's support. History shows that the TDP has never depended on other parties for power. On the other hand, the allies benefited from us," he said.
"If any other party is interested, the TDP is willing to work together on people's problems. Otherwise, the TDP is capable of waging a battle on its own and emerge victorious," Naidu declared.
Party sources claim the TDP is unwilling to cut ties with the BJP as there is little time prepare for the polls on its own.
Political analysts also claim that the TDP would find it difficult to win back the support of the Muslims, alienated from the party due to its alliance with the BJP after the Gujarat carnage.
Moreover, the left parties -- the Communist Party of India and the Communist Party of India-Marxist -- who were aligned with the TDP for over a decade -- are now in the Congress camp.
The Telangana Rashtra Samithi shares power with the Congress at the Centre and in the state and it is poised to have seat-sharing arrangement with the party in the municipal polls.
In this backdrop, the TDP wants to make do with its lone ally -- BJP. Losing the BJP at this stage would render the TDP isolated and vulnerable in national and state politics.
Earlier reports:
Chandrababu Naidu re-elected TDP president
BJP had negative impact on minority votes: TDP
BJP disagrees with TDP