CM Kiran's new party will find many takers

Political circles in Andhra Pradesh are abuzz with rumours of Kiran's new political outfit.

Ever since talks of the CM floating a new party surfaced, there have been reports that several ministers and MLAs have decided to join Kiran's cadre. On Monday, AP forests minister Shatrucharla Vijaya Rama Raju openly declared that he will join Kiran's party if the latter launched his own party.

Speaking to the media, the forest minister sees defeat in the upcoming elections if he contested on a Congress ticket.

Stating that he won't contest from Congress party, Vijaya Rama Raju said that he would contest either from Kiran's party or as an Independent candidate. If it doesn't happen, he will quit politics, the minister added. He ruled out the rumors of him joining TDP or YSRCP.

After its decision to divide the state, the Congress party will definitely disappear in the Seemandhra region and ministers are searching for new political outfits.

It may be recalled that former minister and senior Congress leader JC Diwakar Reddy has already expressed similar views on joining Kiran's party.

The exodus to Telugu Desam Party is also believed to go up. While minister Ganta Srinivasa Rao is waiting for the right time to shift his loyalties to the TDP, Nellore city MLA M. Sridhar Krishna Reddy has already announced the date of his joining the TDP.

He announced that he will join the TDP led by Chandrababu Naidu in the first week of February. He claimed that he was in TDP from the beginning, but due to some reasons he had to join Praja Rajyam Party which was merged with Congress.