TDP to stay from away Telangana elections

TDP national president N. Chandrababu Naidu himself is said to have informed the party’s decision to not contest Telangana elections to TDP Telangana unit chief Kasani Gnaneshwar. File
| Photo Credit: GIRI KVS

The Telangana Telugu Desam Party (TTDP) will not contest in the Telangana Assembly elections with the party chief, N. Chandrababu Naidu, lodged in jail for the alleged irregularities in the Skill Development scheme.

Mr. Naidu himself is said to have informed the party’s decision to TDP Telangana unit president Kasani Gnaneshwar, who called on his party chief in Rajahmundry Central Jail on Saturday. Due to the present situation in Andhra Pradesh, the party will not be able to concentrate on Telangana elections, Mr. Naidu is said to have informed Mr. Gnaneshwar.

Entire Mr. Naidu’s family is busy fighting out the alleged false cases against him and the party leaders may not be available for campaign in Telangana is the party’s stand. The TTDP was hoping to contest and make its presence felt in a few seats in Hyderabad apart from some pockets in the rural areas where the TDP continues to have some strength. Its biggest strength is in Khammam and the party may support other candidates there now.

Mr. Kasani Gnaneswar too was confident of TTDP in the Telangana Assembly elections and also announced earlier that the party will contest in few seats where it is strong. Now, he will have to convince the hopefuls in the party on the party’s decision.

It will be interesting to see who the TDP supporters will go with in Telangana. The politically and financially strong Kamma community in Telangana is peeved with the ruling Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS) for its response over Mr. Naidu’s arrest. The Municipal Minister, K.T. Rama Rao opposed any kind of protests at Hitech city in favour of Mr. Naidu that angered the TDP supporters. However, Mr. Rama Rao later retracted, saying that they can protest at the Dharna Chowk and not in the Hitech city area as it may disturb the functioning of IT companies.

Realising that the TDP supporters in Telangana may not back the BRS in these elections for its stand on Mr. Naidu’s arrest, several BRS Ministers and MLAs issued open statements condemning his arrest. Health Minister T. Harish Rao, Transport Minister Ajay Kumar, MLC Kavitha were some of those who expressed their displeasure over the way Mr. Naidu was being treated. There is a huge Kamma community in Khammam, Nizamabad and Warangal areas and the BRS doesn’t want to annoy them with politically incorrect statements.

Interestingly, Mr. Naidu’s entry into the Telangana Assembly elections in 2018 helped the BRS (then TRS) claim that anti-Telangana forces were getting into Telangana through the back door. Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao made it a huge election issue and raised it in several public meetings turning the voters in his favour.

The TDP tied up with the Congress and won two seats in Khammam — Ashwaraopet and Sattupalli. But both legislators later joined the BRS and are now contesting the BRS tickets.