The race for nominated posts is picking up among the leaders of Telugu Desam Party (TDP), who have failed to manage a Cabinet berth. Hectic lobbying for the coveted posts has become the order of the day in the TDP camp and all eyes are now set on the Chairman post of the Vijayawada-Guntur-Tenali-Mangalagiri Urban Development Authority (VGTMUDA) .
In the raceThe party sources say that Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu is considering names of senior leaders like Nettam Raghuram and Alapati Rajendra Prasad. Vasantha Krishna Prasad, son of former Minister Vasantha Nageswara Rao, is also said to be in the race. UDA former Chairman Tumati Premnath is also leaving no stone unturned to win the confidence of Mr. Naidu.
Caste equationsWhile Mr. Raghuram is from Krishna district, Mr. Rajendra Prasad hails from Guntur district; and both of them belong to Kamma community.
Mr. Raghuram was denied party ticket in last two elections. Mr. Rajendra Prasad served as a Minister previously and expected a Cabinet berth this time.
So, the Chief Minister is actively considering their names in view of their services to the party, sources say. Raghuram, a staunch loyalist of Mr. Naidu, faced charges in connection with transfers in the Excise Department in 1998 and was dropped from the Cabinet. In 1999 and 2004 polls, he lost to Samineni Udayabhanu, a Congress candidate then. Later, the party preferred fielding Sriram Rajagopal from Jaggaiahpeta Assembly constituency in 2009 and 2014. Mr. Krishna Prasad, a recent entrant to the party, is a realtor and businessman, and his father served as Home Minister in N. T. Rama Rao’s Cabinet. Another contender Mr. Premnath served as the UDA chairman for a brief period during the NTR regime. Durga temple board
Sri Kakanka Durga Devasthanam is another attraction for the leaders for nominated posts. Mushti Srinivas, a senior leader from Vijayawada (Central), is said to be frontrunner for the Board Chairman post.
