The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Dissidence plagues Telugu Desam Party

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Apr 04, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Dissidence plagues Telugu Desam Party

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD, APRIL 3. The latest list of Telugu Desam candidates for the Assembly elections has stirred up a hornet's nest and triggered another bout of dissidence and threats of resignations, particularly in its stronghold - the two Godavari districts.

In West Godavari district, close on the heels of the resignation of Allu Venkata Satyanarayana, ex-MLA from Palacole, from the party yesterday after being denied ticket, the Major Industries Minister, K. Vidyadhar Rao, has repeatedly expressed his displeasure over the manner in which his suggestions on selection of candidates were ignored. A sulking Mr. Rao is said to have conveyed to a senior leader of the Congress that he and wanted to keep his options open. He is dejected because the party has not taken his suggestion to shift the Endowments Minister, Dandu Sivarama Raju, from Attili and provide ticket to his followers in the Eluru and Unguturu segments. Not only was his advice ignored, he was reportedly snubbed by the Chief Minister, N. Chandrababu Naidu, as well.

The Medical and Health Minister, Kodela Sivaprasada Rao, is facing a similar predicament after failing to secure ticket for his supporters in Guntur district while the Minister for Women and Child Welfare, S. Saraswathi, is likely to quit, the party ticket for Kodur in Cuddapah district, represented by her, having gone to Ajay Babu.

Mr. Satyanarayana Rao seems upset by not only the denial of party ticket to him (it was given to T. Satyanarayana Murthy alias Babji) but also by the allegations made against him by Mr. Chandrababu Naidu. He blamed the Energy Minister, K. Subbarayudu, for the denial of ticket to him.

Madyanapu Eswari, Chairperson of the Eluru Municipality, who was expecting the ticket, and her husband, M. R. D. Balaramulu, member of the district RTA, resigned from the Telugu Desam. Later, Balaramulu's supporters staged a demonstration in front of Mr. Vidyadhara Rao's residence.

These developments in West Godavari district have caused concern to the TDP.

In East Godavari district, things do not appear to be any better. Vadde Veerabhadra Rao, who failed to get nomination for the Kadiam seat, is in the fray as an independent even as another rebel, N. Suryachandra Rao, is giving a headache to the official nominee for Amalapuram, Metla Satyanarayana. The district president of the party, Nimmakayala Chinna Rajappa, an aspirant for Amalapuram, has relented after the party leadership pleaded for his cooperation.

The resentment has spread to other regions in a different way. In Gorantla constituency of Anantapur district, the Animal Husbandry Minister, Nimmala Kishtappa, is facing resistance to his renomination, with a large number of his own party workers, opposing his candidature.

A former Minister, Paritala Ravindra's mediation did not help and these workers were in an angry mood.

In Sathenapalli of Guntur district, mere speculation that K. Venkatarama Reddy was being given the party ticket led to protests by Telugu Desam workers who organised a "rasta roko" on Guntur- Macherla road.

Adoni in Kurnool saw a similar demonstration against the party for not considering the renomination of the sitting MLA, K. Meenakshi Naidu.

A number of rebels continue to be in the fray despite the best efforts of the party leaders to make them withdraw. These include P. Rama Rao in the Visakhapatnam Lok Sabha constituency and D. Ramesh Babu in the Warangal Assembly seat.

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