Vijayawada: A tough fight is set to be on the cards for the posts of the prestigious Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) Board. As the term of the present TTD Board expires today, April 26, the ruling TDP leaders are lobbying for the posts. Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu who is set to leave for US tour on May 3, is likely to fill the posts before his departure.
Two MPs, Rayapati Sambasiva Rao from Narasaraopet in Guntur district and Maganti Murali Mohan from Rajamahendravaram in East Godavari district are said to be fighting for the TTD Board chairman post. While Rayapati has been trying unsuccessfully for the post for over a decade, Murali Mohan jumped into the fray after his victory in the 2014 elections. Interestingly, present chairman Chadalavada Krishna Murthy is also trying his luck for another term, but his chances are said to be less. Sources say that Rayapati is mounting heavy pressure on the Chief Minister to name him for the Board. Murali Mohan, who is close to the Chief Minister for decades, is also putting his pressure for the post.
Meanwhile, the Chief Minister is said to be planning to accommodate the dissident legislators and leaders who could not make it to the Cabinet in the recent rejig. He is said to have made up his mind to nominate at least two YSR Congress MLAs who have defected to the party and could not get the place in the Cabinet. Besides, the Chief Minister is also planning to nominate dissident leaders in the TDP, besides one post for the Telangana TDP leaders. It is also said that Chandrababu Naidu is in favour of continuing the membership of at least two of the present Board. Popular director K Raghavendra Rao and Infosis founder Sudha are said to be the most favoured members to be continued for another term.
This time, Chandrababu Naidu wants to give lions share in the TTD Board to the leaders from the Rayalaseema region, where he is planning to beat Opposition leader Y S Jaganmohan Reddy in the next round of election. Besides inclusion of N Amaranath Reddy and C Adinarayana Reddy into the Cabinet, the Chief Minister wants to have greater representation for the leaders from this region to make inroads into the Jaganmohan Reddy’s base.
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