Wed Apr 02 06:52:34 UTC 2025: ## Andhra Pradesh’s TDP and JSP to Support Controversial Waqf Amendment Bill

**Vijayawada, April 2, 2025** – The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and Jana Sena Party (JSP) in Andhra Pradesh have announced their support for the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, scheduled for parliamentary debate on Wednesday. This lends significant support to the bill’s passage.

The TDP, with 16 Lok Sabha MPs, and the JSP, with two, will add 18 votes to the bill’s proponents. Combined with the three BJP MPs, the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) will secure 21 votes in the lower house.

TDP floor leader Lavu Sri Krishna Devarayalu stated that the party’s proposed amendments, including four supplementary ones, were accepted by the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC). Given the TDP’s position within the NDA, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu’s support for the bill is considered a certainty.

JSP President and Deputy Chief Minister K. Pawan Kalyan expressed confidence in the bill, emphasizing the JPC’s thorough review and the need to modernize the British-era Waqf Act. He asserted the bill’s benefits for the Muslim community.

Despite potential internal concerns, both parties are firmly backing the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024. Protests against the bill were held in Vijayawada on Saturday, led by members of the All-India Muslim Personal Law Association.

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