Whether TDP will contest or not? Cadre clueless

Warangal: Telugu Desam Party (TDP) that once ruled the roost politically in the erstwhile Warangal district appears to be a pale shadow of its former self.

With its leadership is yet to take a decision on fielding its candidates in Telangana, the TDP, which wrested Warangal/Hanamkonda Parliament seat for no less seven times since its inception, is in an ignominious position.

Never before, the TDP was in such a position after its launch in 1983 by the actor-turned-politician NT Rama Rao.

The party, which emerged as a strong regional party, was in power for not less than 16 years in the undivided Andhra Pradesh.

Since 2014 elections, the party witnessed a steady decline from a position of strength to a surviving one with its both MLAs Errabelli Dayakar Rao (Palakurthi) and Challa Dharma Reddy (Parkal) defecting to the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS).

In fact, even before the elections, the party faced turmoil with one of its mainstays in the district Kadiyam Srihari joining the TRS.

The exodus of TDP leaders jumping on the TRS bandwagon continued thereafter with prominent leaders one after the other making a beeline before Telangana Bhavan.

Although the party has a host of second rung leaders who used to allege that they were not provided chances to grow within the party due to the presence of senior pros didn't capitalise after bigwigs like Errabelli and Kadiyam had left the party.

Wilting under the onslaught of the TRS, the party drew a blank in the Greater Warangal Municipal Corporation (GWMC) while the Congress managed to put up a facing saving performance by winning 10 divisions.

In the recent elections to the Assembly, the party which had a poll pact with Congress, CPI and Telangana Jana Samithi (TJS), failed to put up an impressive performance.

Despite the kind of drubbing the party received in the Assembly elections, the two prominent leaders - Revuri Prakash Reddy, the Politburo of the TDP, and Eega Mallesham, TDP State general secretary – say that TDP has a committed vote bank in the erstwhile Warangal district. When asked about the party's participation in the Parliament elections, Revuri Prakash Reddy told The Hans India: "The State leadership is mulling over fielding its candidates. A decision will be taken in a day or two. There are quite a few leaders in the district who are keen to take a plunge in the Lok Sabha polls. TDP may be down at the moment but we are not completely out."

As far as the TDP's record in Warangal Lok Sabha is concerned since the party was found, T Kalpana Devi in 1984, Azmeera Chandulal in 1996 and 1998, Bodakunti Venkateshwarlu in 1999 and Errabelli Dayakar Rao in 2008 emerged victorious.

Chada Suresh Reddy won Hanamkonda Lok Sabha seat (the constituency does not exist since 2009 delimitation) twice – 1998 and 1999.