Tuesday, August 2 2005 16:22 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Hyderabad: Curtains came down on the six-year-old alliance between the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) with both the parties deciding to fight the ensuing municipal elections on their own in Andhra Pradesh.

"We have decided to go it alone in the ensuing municipal elections as TDP is pursuing with its opportunist politics by supporting Muslim Reservations Bill," state BJP vice president SV Seshagiri Rao said here (Hyderabad) today (Aug 02, 2005).

"We have only extended support to the NDA (National Democratic Alliance) Government and not to the BJP," TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu had said addressing party workers recently.

TDP's distance with BJP widened further with Naidu going ahead with his campaign keeping the ensuing civic polls in mind and trying to participate in many a minority functions.

Former Punjab Chief Minister Prakash Singh Badal had called on Naidu at his residence on Sunday.

Though both the leaders maintained that it was only a casual visit, observers feel that efforts for a third front are in the offing.

CPI (Communist Party of India) general secretary A B Bhardan, who was here recently, said TDP should shift its economic policies besides coming out of the fundamentalist fold.

Reacting sharply to the remarks, Naidu said "TDP only supported NDA and has nothing to do with BJP. Our priority lies only in formation of non-Congress Government."