No one knows whether bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh will really end the political suzerainty of the two dominant castes in the state--Reddys and Kammas, but for now, it seems to be helping the TDP get rid of the tag that it is a party dominated by Kammas.
Reddys, who had been the patrons of the Congress party for several decades are deserting the party in Seemandhra in large numbers in the wake of State bifurcation.
If several of them are joining Jagan Mohan Reddy’s YSRC, some are going the way of the TDP, which is their arch rival.
Though Jagan hails from the Reddy community and is also from Rayalaseema, a region dominated by Reddys, some of the Reddy leaders in the Congress are preferring the TDP to YSRC to retain their positions in the upcoming general polls.
There are two ostensible reasons for this. One, some of the senior Reddy leaders are not ready to work under Jagan, who is much junior to them in politics. Hence, they prefer TDP boss N Chandrababu Naidu, who is their contemporary. His flexible attitude and mild nature are making the Reddy leaders lean towards him, rather than the ‘autocratic’ Jagan.
Two, Reddy leaders who could not find a berth for them in Jagan’s party are also considering the TDP as the last resort.
Because of these two reasons, the TDP in Seemandhra is able to attract some of the Reddy leaders from the Congress into its fold and trying to erase the appellation that it is anti-Reddy. The recent migration of Erasu Pratap Reddy, Shilpa Mohan Reddy and Challa Ramarkishna Reddy (all from Kurnool district) from Congress to TDP illustrates just this.
Powerful Reddy brothers in Ananatapur district, JC Diwakar Reddy and Prabhakar Reddy, are also set to become the members of the TDP in the next few days.
Similar is the case with another senior Congress leader from Kurnool district, Gangula Pratap Reddy. He is understood to be negotiating with the TDP for contesing Nandyal Lok Sabaha seat.
“Division of the State has come as a blessing in disguise for our party as far as wooing the powerful Reddy community is concerned. Reddy leaders, who could not adjust in the YSRC, are leaning towards the TDP now. This will help us attract Reddy vote to some extent,” a senior TDP leader from Rayalaseema said.