The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Naidu elected Telugu Desam president sixth time in a row

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, May 31, 2005

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Naidu elected Telugu Desam president sixth time in a row

Special Correspondent

`Ryot-friendly' party chief vows to carry on the fight for welfare of the poor

THE POWER OF SWORD AND SMILE: The TDP chief, N. Chandrababu Naidu, unsheathes a sword presented by an admirer at the conclusion of the party's Mahanadu in Hyderabad on Monday as (left) Vanga Geeta, Rajya Sabha member, and actress Roja share a hearty laugh. .

HYDERABAD: N. Chandrababu Naidu was re-elected unopposed as president of the Telugu Desam at the party's Mahanadu which concluded here on Monday.

P. Ashok Gajapathi Raju, chairman of the election committee, formally announced Mr. Naidu's election for a sixth consecutive term, and later administered an oath to him amid full-throated slogans by party enthusiasts.

Soon after his re-election, members of the Telugu Yuvatha presented him a sword to symbolically "counter the violence" of the ruling party. Several functionaries felicitated him with bouquets and different types of headgears. Senior leaders -- Y. Venkata Rao, P. Chandrashekhar, P. Aruna, J.R. Pushpa Raj, K.E. Krishnamurthy, Ibrahim Bin Abdullah Masqati, K. Harishwar Reddy, T. Krishna Reddy -- and film actress Roja praised Mr. Naidu's leadership and said that he brought international recognition to Andhra Pradesh during his Chief Ministership.

Increased responsibility

Thanking the functionaries, Mr. Naidu said the responsibility on him had increased and vowed to recapture TDP's past glory. He promised to develop it into a model party in the country. He said he would carry on an uncompromising fight for rendering justice to the poor and farmers. He also demanded that the Centre introduce the bill providing 33 per cent reservation for women in legislative bodies.

He called upon the cadres in the Penukonda Assembly constituency where byelection is due to be vigilant and counter any attempts to rig the polls. He called upon the cadre to counter the ruling party's violence in a peaceful and democratic manner. He emphasised need for unity and discipline in the party.

Mr. Naidu said that more than Rs.90 lakhs was received towards party fund from the delegates during the three-day conference. The party would seek donations from the public during the next month and the modalities for it would be decided by the Polit Bureau.

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