TDP president N. Chandrababu Naidu will be formally elected as the leader of the Telugu Desam Legislative Party (TDLP) at its maiden meeting to be held at Sri Padmavathi Mahila Viswa Vidyalayam (SPMVV) campus here on June 4. The step will pave the way for his taking over the reins of the residuary State of Andhra Pradesh as its first Chief Minister.
According to the tentative schedule, Mr. Naidu will garland the statue of N.T. Rama Rao at the varsity campus before arriving at the venue. The event will be held at Indira Priyadarshini auditorium after 7 p.m. on the day, where the formalities like proposing and seconding Mr. Naidu’s name will be taken up by senior legislators.
The letter, with the signatures of the MLAs, will be presented the next day to the Governor, who will formally invite Mr. Naidu to form the government.
While the party Mahanadu was held in Hyderabad and the swearing-in ceremony planned at Vijayawada, Tirupati has been chosen to host the process of electing the TDLP leader, though a formality, obviously to maintain ‘regional balance’.
Auspicious noteIn fact, Sri Venkateswara University’s Senate Hall was initially chosen for the function, as it is Mr. Naidu’s alma mater, but its limited seating capacity (100) made the party prefer SPMVV auditorium, a relatively modern building that can accommodate 500 persons. SPMVV, the brainchild of Late NTR, stands tall as a symbol of women’s empowerment and was among the key projects sanctioned by him to the temple city.
On a different plane, there is a sentiment angle to this choice. “This building looks east and is hence auspicious, while SVU faces south,” senior leader Gali Muddukrishnama Naidu told The Hindu . Moreover, as the campus is endowed with a high compound wall (meant for girl students), it is easy to keep intruders at bay. The venue is getting a facelift for the mega event, while security is being beefed up in the city.
