150 families from YSRCP and Cong join TDP

Madakasira: As many as 150 families from the YSR Congress Party and the Congress joined the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) in Madakasira mandal on Tuesday, marking a significant political shift in the region.

The programme was held at the Madakasira MLA camp office, where TDP district president and MLA M S Raju, along with TDP State Vice-President and former MLC Gundumala Tippeswamy, formally welcomed the new entrants by draping them with the party’s yellow scarf.

The families, hailing from Manuru Thanda village of Manuru panchayat, included leaders such as Krishna Naik, Kumar Naik, Venkata Naik, Nagaraju Naik, Sheena Naik, Vice-Sarpanch Venkatesh and Nayak Janardhan Naik. Addressing the gathering, MLA M.S. Raju called upon village leaders to work collectively for development and strive for the victory of the NDA alliance candidate in the forthcoming local body elections.

Speaking on the occasion, the newly-joined leaders alleged neglect by the previous YSRCP government, stating that despite their long-standing support to the party, their village received no development works. They recalled instances where farmers’ pleas for irrigation water were ignored and alleged harassment during the previous regime.

They said that after the formation of the coalition government in 2024, visible development works were initiated in Madakasira constituency under the leadership of MLA M.S. Raju and former MLC Tippeswamy. They cited the sanction of a Rs 10 lakh CC road proposal, resolution of long-pending drinking water issues through a dedicated pipeline, installation of streetlights, improvement in power supply, and initiatives to create employment opportunities for youth as key reasons for joining the TDP. State secretary Srinivas Murthy, Corporation Chairman Lakshminarayana, mandal leaders and several party functionaries were present.