Defections in Kuppam constituency worry TDP supremo

Tirupati: The plans of TDP Kuppam leaders to organise 'Handri-Neeva Sujala Sravanthi (HNSS) padayatra' from Monday to Friday did not materialise as police officials refused to accord permission citing Covid containment norms.

Majority of TDP leaders also felt that instead of proceeding with padayatra now with limited numbers, it would be more effective to organise such yatra sometime in September after all the relaxations are lifted.

The TDP has been facing an embarrassing situation in Kuppam constituency, the stronghold of party supremo N Chandrababu Naidu, who has been winning there continuously since 1989. In the last elections, he secured a meagre margin of about 30,000 votes against his YSRCP opponent K Chandramouli. After YSRCP took over the reigns of power in the state, it has focussed on Kuppam to gain upper hand in the segment by weakening the TDP.

The ruling party has been using all its good offices to woo TDP cadre into its fold and has been succeeding in its efforts with several leaders having already quit their old party and joined YSRCP. However, TDP leaders were of the view that it is quite common that leaders shift their loyalties to the ruling party to get their works done and there was nothing new in it.

The party chief Chandrababu took it seriously and held a teleconference with more than 470 party leaders on August 21 and tried to motivate them. He made it clear that those, who got benefited from TDP only have left the party and they will come back when the party bounces back to power in the next elections. But, this time TDP will not entertain such leaders. He advised them to work unitedly without yielding to any pressures from YSRCP and assured to be in touch with them always.

TDP MLC and in-charge of Kuppam constituency Gounivari Sreenivasulu told The Hans India that the ruling party has been resorting to various types of threats and magnifying the number of defections. They are threatening to cancel DKT land pattas, SC shop licences among many other things to force the cadre to leave TDP.

The party will take it up very seriously and will start agitations from village-level. "We will expose ruling party failures which have proved a bane for people in the segment. The Rs 100 crore air strip sanctioned by the TDP government was cancelled by this government. Several industries were shunted out. HNSS works have been stopped due to which the constituency could not get water. All pending works have been cancelled. All these issues will be taken up to the people," he asserted.