The ruling Telugu Desam Party camp appears to be jubilant over the entry of senior leader and former MP Gangula Pratap Reddy, who joined the party in the presence of chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Wednesday evening.
The TDP leaders claimed that Gangula’s entry into the TDP will be a great setback to YSR Congress party in Nandyal by-elections.
The YSRC leaders immediately denied the reports that Gangula had quit their party to join the TDP.
“When Pratap Reddy was not even a member of the YSRC, the question of him resigning from the party to join the TDP does not arise at all, leave alone being a setback to Jaganmohan Reddy in Nandyal,” party general secretary V Vijay Sai Reddy said.
Gangula’s brother Prabhakar Reddy had quit the TDP in February 2017 and joined the YSRC. He immediately got elected as a Member of the Legislative Council (MLC) in March.
Pratap Reddy, in fact, would have been fielded as the YSRC candidate for the bypoll, but the sudden defection of former minister Silpa Mohan Reddy from the TDP changed the equation.
So, Gangula wanted to join the YSRC but did not. Now, the question is in what way his entry would help the TDP in Nandyal, when the elections are just less than a week away.
He does not have much cadre base now, after his arch rival Bhuma Nagi Reddy started dominating the Nandyal politics. Apparenly, Gangula thought he would have a greater say now since Bhuma is dead, but the latter’s daughter Akhila Priya is dominating the party now.
If Gangula does not have much role in the TDP, one doubts whether he would remain in this party for long.
