The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) high command is now tasked with alleviating the brewing dissidence within its party leaders and cadre after Arani Srinivasulu of the Jana Sena Party (JSP) was named the candidate for the Tirupati Assembly constituency as per their electoral understanding.
A day after former TDP MLA M. Suguna openly criticised the party leadership for overlooking the contributions of its workers during turbulent times and fielding an outsider as the candidate, TDP State president Atchannaidu who was entrusted with soothing the discord, spoke individually to the aggrieved leaders and encouraged them to work unitedly for the victory of the TDP-led alliance contestant.
According to TDP sources, Mr. Atchannaidu conveyed to the leaders that the party’s decision was binding on them and that the high command would not tolerate hostility. This development comes as TDP national president N. Chandrababu Naidu is on a two-day election campaign at his native Kuppam constituency and Mr. Srinivasulu met him.
Against this tense backdrop, an agile Srinivasulu personally met the disgruntled leaders of his party and sought their support. To erase the ‘non-local’ mark, he claimed to be a native of Tirupati and also declared to own a house in a prominent locality of the town.
Mr. Srinivasulu further said that he would embark on a rigorous election campaign from Wednesday along with leaders of the alliance and gift the seat to his party president Pawan Kalyan after winning it.
