This assembly constituency is in Chittoor, which is TDP supremo Chandrababu Naidu’s home turf. But, today, the TDP has no leader who can take on the YSRCP. The former MLA, who lost the 2019 elections, has simply disappeared and is not accessible to the rank and file of the party. In fact, the constituency does not have even a constituency incharge for the last year-and-a-half.

We are talking about the once-strong citadel of Thamballapalle in Chittoor district. The district has been a TDP stronghold from the time the party was founded. But today, the constituency is all but reduced to a fiefdom of YSRCP strongman Peddireddy Ramachandra Reddy. His brother Dwarakanath Reddy is the sitting MLA.

The TDP candidate Shankar Yadav was MLA from 2014 till 2019. During this period, he is said to have spent more time in Bengaluru than in the constituency. So, the party cadre opposed him in 2019. But, Chandrababu renominated him as the party candidate in 2019 too. He was swept away in the YSRCP wave in 2019. After his defeat, he has simply left for Bengaluru and said to be spending more time there.

Despite the best efforts of the YSRCP bosses, the TDP could win 16 sarpanch seats in the local body elections. This clearly shows that the party still has the support of the people. Sources say that if a worthy incharge is appointed, then the party would regain its lost position. As of now, the names of former MLA Lakshmi Devi and son of Nallari Kishore Kumar Reddy are doing rounds for the incharge post. It remains to be seen how the party regains its lost glory in Thamballapalle.

The TDP is facing a strange predicament in the politically hyperactive Chirala assembly constituency. The cadre is energetic and enthusiastic. They are very active in implementing the party programme. But, it does not have a leader of standing who can lead them. The tallest of the leaders, Karanam Balaram, is now with the YSRCP as his son Venkatesh has now joined the YSRCP.

Interestingly, though Karanam Balaram left, the cadre has largely remained in-tact. No major leader went to the YSRCP. The cadre is still very active and is organizing programme after programme successfully. The unit is very active despite not having proper leadership. Though the party has appointed Yadam Balaji as the incharge of the constituency, he has become inaccessible to the cadre.

There are reports that he is in touch with both district minister Balineni Srinivasa Reddy and Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy. Some TDP cadres have already lodged complaints with the party top leadership. Sources say that the TDP top leadership is planning to send a fact finding committee to study the local situation. The cadre feels that the TDP chief should appoint an incharge for the constituency at the earliest.

The party is also exploring the possibility of appointing two-time MLA and senior leader Paleti Rama Rao as the incharge for the constituency. However, the leadership is still exploring the possibility of bringing back Karanam, who is said to be in two minds in the YSRCP due to the opposition from former MLA Amanchi Krishna Mohan.

The opposition TDP in Andhra Pradesh has released the list of its leaders and party workers who were brutally murdered after YSRCP came to power in May 2019.

According to the figures released by TDP on Friday (today), as many as 33 TDP leaders and party workers were brutally murdered in the past 32 month rule of YSRCP government.

This list was released in the wake of brutal murder of TDP leader Thota Chandraiah of Macharla consituency in Guntur district recently which created a furore in Andhra Pradesh.

Of the 33 murdered, about 20 belonged to weaker sections, said TDP. Most of the murders were committed in Palnadu region in Guntur district.

The TDP leadership has decided to intensify agitations against ‘murder politics’ of YSRCP government. The party will also take up extensive campaign at national-level to bring to the notice of all the political parties in the country about the murder politics of YSRCP government.

The party is also planning to approach various forums including National Human Rights Commission seeking action against the YSRCP government.

Police in Andhra Pradesh’s Guntur district have arrested eight persons in connection with the murder of Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leader Thota Chandraiah.

Guntur district Superintendent of Police Vishal Guni announced the arrests of the accused on Friday.

The 42-year-old leader of the opposition party was brutally hacked to death by a group of assailants in full public view in the Gundlapadu village in Veldurthi mandal on Thursday.

The TDP leader was riding a two-wheeler when he was waylaid by the assailants, who attacked him with knives, sticks and stones. The incident between 7 a.m. and 7.30 a.m.and the TDP leader died on the spot.

The SP said a case was registered on a complaint lodged by the victim’s son. Police had gathered clues from the spot and formed four teams to track down the culprits.

Within 24 hours of the incident, police arrested eight accused. According to SP, the main accused is Chinta Shivaramaia. The other accused are E. Kotaiah, S. Raghurama Rao, S. Ramakoteswara Rao, Chinta Srinivas Rao, Thota Anjaneyulu, Thota Shivanarayana and Chinta Adinarayana.

The main accused is a mandal level public representative and reportedly belongs to the ruling YSR Congress Party.

According to police, there was a dispute between Shivaramaiah and Chandraiah over laying of cement road. The investigations also revealed that before Thursday’s incident, Shivaramaiah had gone to a function where some villagers told him that Chandraiah was hatching a plot to murder him.

Shivaramaiah took help of seven others and murdered Chandraiah before the latter could execute his alleged plan. According to police, all the accused belong to the same caste.

The murder had triggered tension in the village on Thursday. TDP president and former chief minister N. Chandrababu Naidu had visited the village and participated in the slain leader’s funeral.

Naidu had called it a political murder. He alleged that under the anarchic rule of YSRCP several TDP functionaries lost their lives. He said YSRCP was resorting to killing the TDP leaders and workers who were raising their voice against the misrule. He said in the Palnadu region of Guntur district alone tens of TDP leaders and workers were killed.

Almost all major political parties in India have their own newspapers and TV news channels. But for the Telugu Desam party that was formed 40 years ago and was in power in Undivided Andhra Pradesh for 15 years and residuary Andhra Pradesh for 5 years, there is no newspaper or news channel of its own. It depends on other media organisations for coverage of party activities and programmes.

The TDP on Tuesday (today) finally launched its own newspaper. But it is not a regular newspaper but an ‘e-paper’. It has been named as “Chaitanya Ratham”.

TDP chief and former AP CM N.Chandrababu Naidu formally launched party’s e-paper on Monday at TDP office in Mangalagiri. The e-paper was sent to 30 lakh active members in TDP soon after its launch.

Naidu said though TDP was formed 40 years and was in power for 20 years, it never thought of setting up its own newspaper or news channel because TDP strongly felt that media should be ‘apolitical’. Taking a dig at Sakshi media owned by YSRCP chief and AP CM YS Jaganmohan Reddy, he said, “Some people have set up their own newspaper and media channels with the money earned through corruption and shady deals in politics and by misusing their power. They are now dictating all media organisations and warning them against writing anything against them. Those who are daring enough to expose their wrongdoings, they are branded on caste on political grounds.”

Naidu said TDP’s e-paper will expose all the wrongdoings of YSRCP government and create awareness among people how YSRCP’s flawed policies and decisions will impact their lives and livelihood.

The TDP is upset at the attempts of a section of the media, especially of the electronic and digital varieties, at deliberate vilification of the party. These channels have been willfully running down the party and are trying to show it in poor light. So upset the party is that it has officially declared that it would not send its representatives and would not take part in any TV debates organized by these channels

The channels in question are TV 9, Prime 9, Sakshi TV and digital channel I Dream. The TDP media group and organizational teams have been tracking the deliberate anti-TDP attitude of these channels for quite a while. Yet in the interest of media ethics, it tolerated them. Now, the TDP is keeping a distance from these media houses. Party insiders feel that this is long overdue.

However, few other channels, which are two-timing, have been omitted from the ban-list. Another channel, which is deliberately spewing venom on the TDP, has been left out. The TDP spokespersons and panelists continue to take part in the debates in these channels. Party insiders feel that it is about time that action should be taken against these channels too.

Sources say that the TDP is taking a serious view of the biased media. It feels that lack of objectivity should not be left unchallenged. Despite the respect and concern for the media freedom and journalistic rights, it strongly feels that biased media coverage is not a healthy trend.