TDP Leaders' Defiance Of Babu Orders To Boycott MPTC ZPTC Polls Shocks Balayya

ANANTAPUR: Telugu Desam Party (TDP) Hindupur MLA Nandamuri Balakrishna faced a backlash in his home turf after a few local leaders in the region started canvassing for the upcoming Mandal Parishad and Zilla Parishad Territorial Constituencies (MPTC/ZPTC) elections in defiance of the orders by the Party chief N Chandrababu Naidu. The Party on Friday had taken a decision to boycott the MPTC/ZPTC elections in Andhra Pradesh.

TDP leaders in Hindupur have started campaigning for TDP's ZPTC candidate Anand and MPTC candidate Ashwini. In addition to that, several TDP leaders from Hindupur are stating that they will ignore Chandrababu's boycott orders.

WEST GODAVARI: Same was the case in the Tadepalligudem constituency where the local TDP ignored Chandrababu's call to boycott the elections. They were seen campaigning on behalf of ZPTC candidate Vatturi Venkata Rambabu, MPTC candidate Saripalli Padma. Former Zilla Parishad chairman Mullapudi Bapiraju and constituency in-charge Valavala Babji were campaigning in Nandamuru village in Tadepalligudem mandal.

The TDP's two-faced behaviour has come to the fore. On one hand, the TDP chief has announced that he will boycott the polls, but at the same time is said to have clandestinely issued internal directives that TDP candidates should continue contesting much to the chagrin of his party cadre. ZPTC candidate Beeram Sirisha from Budvel in YSR District is conducting a door-to-door campaign for the elections. She said that they were going ahead as per the suggestion of the TDP Chief Chandrababu in line with the local conditions.

The TDP and its supremo's decision to boycott the coming elections has also irked a segment of the senior rank who are not quite happy with his decision to boycott. They also feel that it was a major political mistake committed by Chandrababu Naidu, which could leave the party cadre demoralised. A senior leader Jyothula Nehru resigned from the TDP vice-president's post, saying he was pained over by the decision.

Also Read: Jyothula Nehru Resigns As TDP Vice-President

Some senior leaders like Ashok Gajapati Raju state that they will decide whether to contest or not to, based on the local conditions. As per sources, the party workers in districts in the fertile Godavari belt and North Andhra are keen on contesting the MPTC/ZPTC elections.