Now that the National Democratic Alliance government in Andhra Pradesh led by Telugu Desam Party president and chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu is gradually consolidating its position in the state, more YSR Congress party leaders appear to be looking towards joining the TDP for a better political future.
Speculations are rife that YSRCP state general secretary Anam Vijay Kumar Reddy and his wife Arunamma, chairperson of Nellore Zilla Parishad would be joining the TDP sooner or later.
Lending credence to these speculations, Vijay Kumar Reddy, younger brother of state endowments minister Anam Ramnarayana Reddy, made a surprise visit to the residence of state municipal administration and urban development minister Ponguru Narayana on Thursday.
The local YSRCP leaders are brushing aside these rumours stating that Vijay Kumar had gone to Narayana’s house only to invite him to the Zilla Parishad meeting, but there were no takers to this rejoinder.
“There is no need for the couple to go the minister’s house only to invite him to the ZP meeting. Being an ex-officio member, the minister will naturally come to the meeting. Moreover, any such invitation would be extended by the ZP officials, not the chairperson or her husband,” a source said.
Vijay Kumar, who unsuccessfully contested on TDP ticket from Nellore (rural) constituency in 2014, joined the YSRCP in 2015 with the initiative taken by local MLA Kotamreddy Sridhar Reddy. Since then, he held several positions in the YSRCP and attacked her own brothers.
Kotamreddy joined the TDP a couple of years ago and Vijay Kumar has been making strong attacks on him and the TDP. But now that the YSRCP has been completely wiped out in Nellore, Vijay Kumar had no option but to join the TDP for a better future.
A couple of days ago, another senior YSRCP leader and MLC from Mangalagiri constituency Murugudu Hanumantha Rao also hinted at shifting loyalties to the TDP by praising chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu.
Hanumantha Rao took part in an official programme held by Mangalagiri MLA and TDP general secretary Nara Lokesh and showed praises on the TDP government for granting several sops for weavers’ community.
Incidentally, Hanumantha Rao’s daughter-in-law Murugudu Lavanya contested against Lokesh in Mangalagiri in the recent elections and lost by nearly 90,000 votes.
