TDP Dying A Natural Death In Telangana After Revanth’s Departure 

Hyderabad: Telugu Desam Party, once ruled the united Andhra Pradesh for 20 years and is now in power in residual Andhra Pradesh after bifurcation since 2014 is on the death bed in Telangana. TDP lost all its sheen and charm in Telangana especially after its working president A. Revanth Reddy left the party last week.

Despite its opposition to the formation of Telangana, TDP could manage to garner 15 Assembly seats and 1 MP seat in the state in the first elections after bifurcation in 2014. Within months after the elections, the party started loosing its ground in the state with the ruling TRS attracting 12 MLAs and an MP into its fold. The party which became almost a stigma in Telangana after the infamous note-for-vote episode in November 2015, faced further crisis after its Legislative Party leader Errabelli Dayakar Rao deserted the party to join TRS.

Revanth had been a ray of hope for the TDP cadres despite his direct involvement in the note-for-vote case as he was vociferously opposing the ruling party's short-comings and excesses. With his departure from the party, the cadres have fallen apart as no other leader worth the name remained to give them confidence about their political future.

Moreover, the TDP's national president and AP Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu never showed any interest in reviving the party in Telangana for various reasons. The major reason is said to be his compromise with the TRS in return for the Telangana government's soft corner in note-for-vote case. The other reason is, Chandrababu is facing a lot of resistance from the Opposition YSR Congress Party in Andhra Pradesh and he is not in a position to concentrate on T-TDP.

Left with a few handful of leaders such as its state unit president L. Ramana who is not an inspiring leader with mass appeal, Mothkupally Narsimhulu who is simmering with discontent with the party as he did not any nominated post or a gubernotorial assignment as hoped, Sandra Venkataveeraiah who is also an accused in note-for-vote case, Ravula Chandrasekhar Reddy who never enjoyed a mass following, BC leader R. Krishnaiah, et al, the Telangana TDP is on the death bed as all the leaders are looking for opportune time to jump either into Congress or TRS.

Revanth took along about 40 leaders from TDP with him into Congress. He hand picked all active leaders in the party in each of the 31 districts in the state and motivated them enough to follow him into Congress.

Mothkupally already spelt out his intentions to work with TRS and R. Krishnaiah was all praise for the ruling party and CM KCR during his speech in the Assembly a couple of days back. It is learnt that most of the leaders are in touch with either TRS or Congress and if not immediately, they may desert TDP in due course causing a natural death to the party.