TD finds it tough for candidates

By SNV Sudhir

Visakhapatnam, Jan 1, 2014:   Telugu Desam (TD) President, N Chandrababu Naidu may have set his sights high- a key role in national politics through winning maximum loksabha seats. The flip side of the coin is that the party is struggling to find suitable candidates to contest from three parliamentary constituencies in the district- Vizag, Anakapalle and Araku.

TD bosses are said to have begun the hunt for ‘wealthy’ winning horses to contest from the three constituencies, what with contesting polls having become costly affair.

  According to sources in TD camp, the party leadership is banking on ports and infrastructure minister Ganta Srinivasa Rao joining the party.  He seems to be ken on contesting on a loksabha ticket this time in 2014 polls either from Vizag or Anakapalle.

TD senior leader, MVVS Murthy had contested from the Vizag seat for around six times. While Murthy won only twice and lost four times, TDP won the seat three times since the party’s inception in 1984 and lost five times.

As an alternative, TD leaders also earlier held parleys with the owner of CMR Group Mavuri Venkata Ramana, who is a leading business man and also belongs to BC community. 

The situation in Anakapalle is also not so encouraging either. With the exit of the party senior leader, Dadi Veerabhadhra Rao, TD cadre has become directionless in Anakapelle. TDP won the seat four times since 1984 and lost it four times.  Now the party has a limited choice of choosing between two senior most leaders and old faces  Pappala Chalapati Rao and Adari Tulasi Rao.

And the position in Araku constituency which is a ST reserved one is worst among the three. Araku constituency was formed before the 2009 elections after the reorganization and delimitation of constituencies. 

In 2009 the present union tribal affairs minister, V Kishore Chandra Deo won on a congress ticket from Araku constituency which is spread across the tribal belt across 5 districts. In 2009, due to alliance with the left parties, TD lost the seat to CPM and Midiam Babu Rao contested.

Deo won the seat with a record margin of of 1,92,444 votes.  Now the party does not have a popular face to contest from Araku. However, the name of DVG Sankar Rao, of Salur in Viziangaram district who once won against Deo from Parvathipuram is doing rounds this time to be fielded from Araku.