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The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) has picked up party senior leader Kalisetti Appala Naidu as the candidate for the Vizianagaram Lok Sabha constituency, after an internal survey that got the nod of party national president N. Chandrababu Naidu.
Mr. Appala Naidu wanted to contest from Etcherla Assembly constituency which went to the BJP as part of the seat-sharing agreement reached between the alliance partners TDP, JSP and BJP.
Mr. Appala Naidu, who started his career as a journalist, joined the TDP two decades ago and became the chairman of Ponduru Marketing Committee. Later, he worked as the in-charge of TDP North Andhra training institute in Vizianagaram.
The 49-year-old leader belongs to the Turpu Kapu community which has a sizeable population in the Vizianagaram Lok Sabha constituency which has Vizianagaram, Gajapathinagaram, Bobbili, Nellimarla, Cheepurupalli, Etcherla and Rajam Assembly segments under its purview.
Mr. Naidu’s acquaintance with the leaders of all those Assembly constituencies during the training programme is said to be one of the reasons for his selection as the MP candidate.
