TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu seems to be following a completely different format in selection of candidates for the forthcoming elections. While releasing the first list of candidates, he said that during four decades of his political life he didn’t make such strenuous efforts.
The way he is securing the point of lakhs of supporters and voters before taking a decision reveals that he is focusing on emergence of new leadership in the party to meet growing challenges. He is not hesitating to deny seats for some traditional leaders like Ganta Srinivasa Rao, Devineni Umamaheswar Rao, Alapati Rajendra Prasad and Bandaru Sathyanarayana Murthy.
However, he accommodated some `opportunistic’ leaders, who were silent for the first four years of YS Jaganmohan Reddy’s repressive regime, looking after their businesses and became active only ahead of elections. This shows that Naidu hesitated to completely revive the party machinery.
In several constituencies, he has given preference to ‘new generation’ leadership, giving chances for children, keeping elder leaders away from electoral politics. In some constituencies, he chose very fresh faces also, giving prominence to ‘clean image’ and `community support’ in respective constituencies.
Chandrababu Naidu also expressed his respect to the families of tall leaders of the party, who died earlier. G Harish Madhur, TDP’s candidate from Amalapuram Lok Sabha constituency is the son of former Lok Sabha speaker G M C Balayogi, who died in a chopper crash in 2002.
Likewise, sons of Gali Muddukrishnama Naidu (Nagiri) and Bojjala Gopalakrishna Reddy (Srikalahasthi) were accommodated.
Two YSRCP MPs figured in the latest list. Narasaraopet YSRCP Lok Sabha member L Sri Krishnadevaraya has been fielded from the same constituency, while V Prabhakar Reddy, a YSRCP Rajya Sabha member, will contest from Nellore.
Surprisingly, T Krishna Prasad, who will contest from the Bapatla Lok Sabha constituency, is a former IPS officer and BJP’s spokesperson in Telangana. He failed to get a party seat in recent assembly elections from Secunderabad Cantonment constituency. Now is lobbying for the Warangal Lok Sabha seat. But suddenly his name appeared in Andhra Pradesh TDP list.
