As announced, Telugu Desam Party legislators headed by former chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu voted for Bharatiya Janata Party’s presidential candidate Droupadi Murmu in the elections held on Monday.
Accompanied by his party MLAs, Naidu came to the state assembly in the afternoon to exercise their franchise in the elections of the President of India.
This is for the first time for Naidu to come to the assembly since November last, when he made a tearful exit taking a vow that he would return to the House only in the capacity of the chief minister.
Four of the TDP party MLAs – Vasupalli Ganesh, Maddali Giridhar, Karanam Balarama Krishna Murthy and Vallabhaneni Vamsi, who shifted their loyalties to the YSR Congress party cast their vote along with other YSRC MLAs.
Among the remaining 19 MLAs, Naidu’s brother-in-law Nandamuri Balakrishna who represents Hindupur and Gorantla Buchaiah Chowdary from Rajahmundry, also abstained from voting. While Balayya was away in shooting, Gorantla is learnt to have gone to the USA on a personal visit.
Naidu already announced that his party was extending support to the BJP candidate as he described Murmu as ‘exceptional’ and an inspiration to the downtrodden sections of society for leading a simple life.
Sources said the TDP would also extend his party’s support to BJP candidate in the Vice-Presidential elections – Jagdeep Dhankar. He might make an official announcement in this regard shortly.
While coming to the assembly to cast his vote, Naidu had a brief halt at Mandadam village where he interacted with farmers of Amaravati. He assured them that Amaravati would continue as the state capital and nobody could change it.
