In August 2021, senior Telugu Desam Party leader and six-time MLA from Rajahmundry (rural), Gorantla Buchaiah Chowdary, stirred controversy within the party by announcing his resignation, alleging that he was being humiliated.
However, he withdrew his resignation following a detailed discussion with party president N. Chandrababu Naidu and other senior leaders, who convinced him to stay in the best interest of the party. He subsequently retracted his decision.
Now, Buchaiah Chowdary is reportedly disheartened with the party once again.
The reason being that the TDP president is said to have assigned the Rajahmundry (rural) seat to the Jana Sena Party as part of their alliance, potentially requiring Buchaiah Chowdary to vacate the seat.
On Tuesday, Jana Sena Party chief Pawan Kalyan, after meeting with party leaders from combined East and West Godavari districts, announced the candidacy of Kandula Durgesh from the Rajahmundry (rural) constituency.
Durgesh, who hails from the same constituency, lost to Buchaiah Chowdary in the 2019 assembly elections, garnering nearly 42,000 votes and a 22 percent vote share. The Jana Sena Party is confident of securing victory in the seat this time.
However, this development has left Buchaiah Chowdary discontented, as he is unwilling to surrender the seat to the Jana Sena Party.
Following Pawan Kalyan's announcement, the TDP leader assured his party workers and supporters that he has no intention of relinquishing the seat to anyone else.
"Do not worry. I will contest from the same constituency. Chandrababu Naidu will soon issue a statement regarding this matter," Buchaiah Chowdary stated, putting the TDP chief in an awkward position.
Two and a half years ago, Buchaiah Chowdary rebelled against the TDP chief for denying him the post of Public Accounts Committee chairman, which was instead given to Payyavula Kesav.
He was also displeased with Naidu’s son and TDP general secretary Nara Lokesh for allegedly speaking to him disrespectfully.
There were speculations that he might defect to the YSR Congress party or even the Bharatiya Janata Party. He had even announced his intention to reveal his plans after August 25, 2021.
However, he reconsidered after Naidu reassured him and persuaded him to remain with the party he had been associated with since its inception.
