Scores of leaders from oppn likely to join TRS Khammam: The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) which fared well in panchayat, municipal and zill...
Scores of leaders from oppn likely to join TRS
Khammam:The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) which fared well in panchayat, municipal and zilla parishad polls before the General Elections in Khammam district, appears to be fast losing its sheen following the exit of its heavyweight Tummala Nageswara Rao, giving a distinct advantage to TRS.
In fact, the differences between the groups led by Tummala and Nama Nageswara Rao resulted in the fast-changing equations in the district, which led to the exit of Tummala which resulted in the meteoric rise of TRS which otherwise had little impact on the district politics even when the agitation for separate Telangana was at its peak.
Though the threat of exodus loomed large over the TDP after its debacle in the elections, it took almost seven months for Tummala Nageswara Rao to join the TRS along with a horde of leaders including MLC Balasani Lakshminarayana, party district president Kondabala Koteswara Rao, Khammam Zilla Parishad chairperson G Kavitha, District Cooperative Marketing Society Chairman A Anjaiah and District Cooperative Bank Chairman Muvva Vijay Babu besides scores of MPTCs, ZPTCs and sarpanches.
His exit from the party jolted the TDP cadre. After the en masse exodus, the TDP is just left with two legislators – Sandra Venkata Veeraiah and Potla Nageswara Rao – and its former MP Nama Nageswara Rao. Despite having lost the cream of its political strength, the TDP leaders put up a brave face, stating that they have capable leaders to fill the vacant slots. However, to date, no appointments for mandal and constituency-level party posts has been made.
Some second rung leaders like party spokesperson and former municipal floor leader Karnati Krishna, who had been waiting in the wings for decades to take centre stage, failed to get any importance in the party. The appointment of Tulluri Brahmaiah as party’s district president also drew a lot of criticism. Many a leader openly criticised his elevation. As the lull at the district TDP office continues, some undercover operations are in full swing by some vested interests to empty the party by Sankranti.
