2 Ministers to join TDP on 27th

Churn in caste-based politics; Parties scramble to win over major leaders

While T G and Erasu will join the party on Feb 27, Ganta has sought some more time in view of reports that Chiranjeevi may be made CM. Meanwhile, YSRCP is trying to catch up with TDP in wooing major castes in Godavari and Vizag districts. It is wooing Kothapalli Subbarayudu to get a slice of Kapu votes

With poll notification likely to be announced during the first week of March, the two major opposition parties, TDP and YSRCP, have intensified the process of wooing major communities in Visakhapatnam, East and West Godavari districts.

While two ministers T G Venkatesh and Erasu Pratap Reddy have decided to join TDP on February 27 in the presence of N Chandrababu Naidu, another minister Ganta Srinivasa Rao is learnt to have sought some more time before announcing his decision. Rao wants to wait for another four days as there is speculation that Union Minister K Chiranjeevi might become the interregnum Chief Minister. Rao has been a close confidant of Chiranjeevi since 2009 when the Prajarajaym Party was floated.

Rao who met Naidu at his residence on Monday is understood to have told him about his reservations in joining the party immediately. Soon after this, Naidu deputed Sujana Chowdary, CM Ramesh and Garikipati Mohan Rao to talk to the ministers and work out the modalities.

Rao had contested from Chodavaram Assembly constituency in 2004. In 2009 he joined PRP and won from Anakapalli constituency. Since then, he has been close to Chiranjeevi.

Speaking to newsmen after the meeting, Srinivas said that he along with two other cabinet colleagues met the TDP leaders, but they were yet to decide on joining the TDP. He declined to comment whether the three ministers would join the Telugu Desam before the election notification.

Erasu and Venkatesh hail from Kurnool district. Erasu is likely to contest from Panyam constituency in the district, while the TDP aspirant K Janardhan will be sent to the legislative council. Another leader from the district Silpa Mohan Reddy also is keen to join TDP and contest from Nandyal constituency. His brother Silpa Chakrapani Reddy wants to contest from Srisailam constituency. On the other hand, YSRCP president Y S Jaganmohan Reddy who has realised that the Kapu community had drifted away from the party has asked two senior leaders Umareddy Venkateswarlu and Jyotula Nehru to talk to Kothapalli Subbarayudu who represents Narasapuram assembly seat in West Godavari district. Subbarayudu is a former TDP senior leader and was minister for power in Naidu’s government. He joined PRP in 2009 when TDP denied him a ticket from Narsapuram. After PRP merged with Congress, he has been continuing as a Congress MLA.