Contrary to the expectations that the appointment of new chairman for the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams is going to be a smooth affair, more YSR Congress party leaders are said to be lobbying for the post.
The chief minister is said to be doing exercise to appoint the new TTD trust board chairman with the present second term of Y V Subba Reddy is scheduled to end on August 12.
Subba Reddy is not interested in accepting the third term and Jagan, too, wants him to play a key role in the coming elections.
Initial reports said Jagan is in favour of nominating party MLC Janga Krishna Murthy for the TTD chairman’s post. Krishna Murthy, a former MLA from Gurajala constituency in Palnadu district, is also heading the YSRC’s BC wing head.
And Jagan thought giving the post to Krishna Murthy would send the positive signals to BCs in the state ahead of the 2024 general and assembly elections.
However, sources said suddenly, Jagan has started getting requests from various leaders for the TTD chairman post.
Former minister Siddha Raghava Rao, who had defected from the TDP to the YSRCP after 2019 elections, is said to have thrown his hat into the ring.
He said so far, nobody from Vysya Community has got the opportunity to become the TTD chairman. Sources said two senior YSRC leaders have reportedly recommended his name to Jagan.
There is also a talk that a prominent Kapu leader from Rayalaseema is also lobbying for the TTD chairman post. His argument is that it would help the party woo the Kapu community before the elections.
Already, Chandragiri MLA and TTD board member Chevireddy Bhaskara Reddy also made a request to Jagan to consider his name. But, Jagan has ruled it out, as he doesn’t want to give the post to another Reddy immediately.
Unable to decide the right candidate, Jagan is understood to have referred the matter to his senior colleague and parliamentary party leader V Vijay Sai Reddy to suggest the name, after looking into all pros and cons.
