The TDP had parted ways with the BJP after the 2004 election loss.

A day ahead of the first phase of polling for the Lok Sabha elections, the Telugu Desam Party announced that it had entered a pre-poll alliance with the BJP and would enter a seat sharing arrangement for the upcoming general elections.

For Naidu, widely projected to emerge a potent force in the Seemandhra region in the general election, it marked a return to the National Democratic Alliance after he parted ways with it following the loss in the 2004 general election.

"Narendra Modi will lead the NDA to over 300 seats in the Lok Sabha elections," Naidu told reporters after announcing the alliance.

SAD leader Naresh Gujral today announced that the Telugu Desam Party was now part of the alliance, but none of the leaders specified the details of the seat sharing alliance between the two parties in the state of Andhra Pradesh.

However it was announced shortly after the decision that the BJP would contest 5 Lok Sabha and 15 Assembly seats in Seemandhra, and 8 LS and 47 Assembly seats in Telangana.

In a bid to force the TDP's decision, the BJP had given the party a deadline of 24 hours last week to make up its mind on joining the alliance. However, following prolonged talks between the two parties, a decision was finally reached today.

The Telugu Desam Party had largely remained non-committal about an alliance and even today's alliance wasn't entirely welcomed, with some TDP activists reportedly protesting the decision by Naidu.

The BJP only has a minor presence in the state of Andhra Pradesh and the move is expected to also help the TDP form the first state government of the Seemandhra region.

According to multiple opinion polls, the TDP is expected to emerge one of the biggest political forces in the Seemandhra region. Despite the opposition in the party against the BJP for backing the creation of the state of Telangana, some leaders have said that the alliance could only help consolidate its votes in the Seemandhra region.