As the National Democratic Alliance government in Andhra Pradesh, led by Telugu Desam Party (TDP) president and Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, approaches its 100-day mark, more leaders from the opposition YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) are defecting to the ruling party.
Interestingly, most of these defectors are choosing to join the TDP rather than its alliance partners, the Jana Sena Party and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Only those who realize they have no place in the TDP are considering the other two allies. However, even these leaders are facing reluctance from the Jana Sena and BJP, especially if they have been rejected by the TDP.
Three days ago, former West Godavari Zilla Parishad chairperson Ghanta Padmasri and her husband, Ghanta Prasada Rao, resigned from the YSRCP, citing personal reasons.
Prasada Rao was also the president of the party’s BC cell. Initially, they announced plans to join the Jana Sena Party, but within a day, they defected to the TDP, stating they saw better prospects there.
Padmasri and her husband met with Andhra Pradesh state TDP president Palla Srinivasa Rao in Visakhapatnam and formally joined the TDP. They are expected to meet TDP general secretary Nara Lokesh soon.
These defectors have seemingly realized that the Jana Sena Party is unlikely to come to power independently and would operate under the shadow of the TDP. As a result, they believe joining the TDP offers better opportunities for growth and power.
Even those attempting to join the Jana Sena Party or the BJP after being rejected by the TDP are facing resistance. For instance, notorious red sanders smuggler and YSRCP leader Kollam Gangi Reddy tried to join the BJP after allegedly making large donations to the party. However, the BJP rejected his entry at the last moment, reportedly due to resistance from the TDP leadership.
The reason was clear: Gangi Reddy was one of the accused in the assassination attempt on Naidu in October 2003.
