TDP MLA and former minister Ganta Srinivasa Rao wrote a letter to AP Assembly speaker Thammineni Sitaram renewing his request to accept his resignation.

The former minister, who was elected to the Assembly in 2019 elections from the Visakhapatnam North Assembly constituency, had sent his resignation in the Speaker format in February 2021.

He sent his resignation in support of the movement against privatisation of the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant.

The former minister backed the employees of the steel plant who have been holding protests against the Central government’s move to privatise.

He is still backing the movement in Visakhapatnam, even as the Central government continues to work towards privatisation of the steel plant.

He is not attending the Assembly session nor is available at the TDP meetings, after sending the resignation. He is keeping himself unavailable for the TDP activities both in his own Assembly constituency and elsewhere in the state.

He was one of the 23 MLAs elected on the TDP ticket in the 2019 elections. Three of them have differed with the party and are now supporting the ruling YSR Congress, bringing down TDP’s strength to 20 unofficially.

If Ganta’s resignation is accepted, the TDP’s strength would fall to 19.

Veteran politician and former minister Ganta Srinivasa Rao is never known to play caste card. All through his career, he has not spoken about his caste and he always claimed support from all the communities. His victories too have come from constituencies that did not have Kapu domination. But, why is Ganta talking about his caste and is trying to play the caste card?

This question is baffling most political observers. Even when the Kapu reservation issue came up and Mudragada Padmanabham began his protest, Ganta steered clear of the agitation. On the Tuni train attack incident also, Ganta refused to side with the Kapus so much so that the Kapus had laid a siege to Ganta’s Hyderabad residence.

But, the very same Ganta is now talking of the Kapu community. He is saying that the next CM should be from the Kapu community and that despite being numerically strong, the Kapus never had proportional political representation. He has also been organizing meetings of the Kapu community leaders at various places. He has called for Kapu unity.

Sources say that Ganta has decided to become politically active again. Hence he has decided to use caste as the vehicle for his new political journey. Sources say that Ganta foresees new political alignments by mid-2022 and hence has decided to talk about Kapu factor. Both the TDP and the YSRCP are keenly watching his political moves. We may have to wait for some more time for Ganta to reveal his mind.

Ganta Srinivasa Rao is a bellwether politician, who knows which side of the bread is buttered. He knows the right time to jump into the right party so that he gets the right position. His calculations went awry only in 2019, when he could not latch on to YS Jagan bandwagon and remained in the margins. Now, he appears to be preparing ground for 2024 elections and this time around, he has a different card to play.

He now appears to be planning to play the Kapu card to the hilt. There are at least two straws in the wind that reveal a lot about his plans. He has recently participated in the unveiling of Kapu icon Vangaveeti Ranga’s statue in Guntapalli village of Payakaraopet mandal.

Speaking on the occasion, he said that the Kapus would soon become the rulers and would play a decisive role in shaping AP’s politics. He also called upon the Kapus to unite and play a key role in AP politics. Soon after this, he held a key meeting of Kapu influencers from across the two Telugu states in Hyderabad. The meeting discussed how the Kapus can claim their rightful share of power.

Sources say that these are indications that Ganta is planning to mobilize the Kapu community and is trying to emerge as the kingpin of Kapu politics. He is keeping cards close to his chest and is not revealing his mind. But, sources say that he is going to become politically active in 2022.

Senior politician Ganta Srinivasa Rao has perfected the art of surprising the people with his sudden moves. This time again, he has surprised everyone, including his party – the TDP – with his move. He has supported the TDP and even organised protests heeding to the party call. Sounds confusing? Wondering what’s the big deal about heeding to the party’s call? Then read on.

Ganta has been dominating the Vizag district politics by over three decades. He was an MLA, an MP and a minister. Ganta is known to change his constituencies like he changes his shirt. Also, he is known to change his parties. He always joins the ruling party and manages to grab a plum post. But 2019 elections proved to be different.

In 2019, he had won on TDP ticket but the YSRCP formed the government. As is his wont, Ganta tried every trick in the trade to sneak into the YSRCP and become a minister. However, he could not do so due to the strong opposition from YSRCP MLAs.. At the same time, he became very inactive in the TDP. He did not meet the party workers and did not organise any party programmes. Then he tried to join the Jana Sena of Pawan Kalyan and began holding meetings of the Kapu MLAs.

Using the Vizag Steel Plant issue as a pretext, he even sent his resignation from the assembly. He has done this without even consulting his own party leadership. But, he never really pursued his resignation. So, he is in the TDP, but is not with the TDP. So, everyone thought that he would leave the TDP sooner than later.

Now the latest is that Ganta has suddenly become loyal to his party, the TDP. He has organised protest programmes against the YSRCP on the Pattabhi issue. Ganta’s sudden activism has left everyone surprised. He has not only organised protests but also supported Chandrababu. Sources say that he has decided to mend fences with the TDP and Chandrababu in view of the possibility of a Jana Sena-TDP alliance by 2024.

This is time for Operation Aakarsh. After making the final move on Capital shifting, CM Jaganmohan Reddy is going to give another shock to the TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu. It is by winning over a senior leader and senior TDP MLA Ganta Srinivasa Rao. Reports say that Ganta is going to join the YSRCP in the presence of Jagan Reddy on August 16. This is exactly a day after the Independence Day celebrations were officially held in Vizag where the Governor is expected to unfurl the tricolour but not in Amaravati.

The timing of the joining of Ganta is seen as a carefully calculated one on the part of the CM. Whatever it is, it is for certain that there will be a groundswell of criticism against the 3 Capitals plan. Especially, the day on which the state’s official I-Day parade and celebrations would be held in Visakhapatnam, there will be much heartburn among the people.

Already, dissenting voices are being heard from Rayalaseema and South Coastal Andhra. People’s agitations seemed inevitable. At such a time, what is left for Jagan Reddy is only to once again implement Operation Aakarsh. This time, Ganta is stated to be the first catch. On several occasions before, Ganta has ruled out shifting his loyalties. This time, there are doubts whether the present rumours would really come true.

At a time when TDP MLAs and other senior leaders are giving shock to TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu by deserting him, the former minister Ganta Srinivasa Rao on Tuesday categorically stated that he wil not quit TDP and made it clear that he will remain with TDP.

Ganta dismissed rumours that he planned to desert the TDP. He clarified that he never thought of leaving TDP as being rumoured in the media every day.

However, Ganta said that he welcomed the YSRCP government’s proposal on the executive capital in Visakhapatnam, but at the same time the YSRCP government must ensure justice to the farmers who had pooled their lands for the state capital at Amaravati.

Ganta wanted the government to dispel fears of deteriorating law and order situation in the state provided the state capital is located at Visakhapatnam.

He said that he was committed to TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu’s decision to lend support to the farmers of Amaravati region at this hour of crisis.

TDP MLA Ganta Srinivasa Rao is once again in news because of his default in repayment of huge loans. The Indian Bank officials have now given notice that Ganta’s properties will be auctioned in Vizag on December 20. These properties are worth Rs.35 Cr. This is far less compared to the Rs. 209 Cr loans taken by the former minister. All these loans are taken in the name of Pratyusha Resources and Infra Projects Pvt Ltd.

The bank officials are trying to identify other properties of the TDP MLA to recover the amount. One prime plot owned by Ganta in Vizag North segment is also being auctioned now. In the past, Ganta Srinivasa Rao faced allegations that he used the government lands as security to get huge bank loans.

Since YCP won power, Ganta is not active in politics though he won MLA seat from Vizag North. Rumours spread recently that he met BJP top leaders in Delhi to change party. Ganta didn’t attend Pawan Kalyan Long March despite Chandrababu asking him to do so. Ganta’s followers are confident that he will take a correct decision soon to suit the emerging political situation in AP.