VIJAYAWADA: Amid increasing calls from within the party to elevate IT and HRD Minister Nara Lokesh to the position of Deputy Chief Minister the TDP high command has issued a directive instructing leaders not to make public statements on the matter.
The party leadership has indicated that any decision will be made only after consultations with alliance partners — the BJP and the Jana Sena.
The directive follows a recent statement by TDP Politburo member Reddeppagari Srinivasa Reddy, who proposed Lokesh’s elevation to Deputy CM in the presence of Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu during an event in Mydukur, YSR district.
Subsequently, several TDP MLAs, including Somireddy Chandramohan Reddy, Adireddy Vasu, and former Pithapuram MLA SVSN Varma, voiced their support for the proposal.
In light of this, the party leadership has expressed concern that it is inappropriate for TDP leaders to publicly comment on such sensitive issues and has therefore instructed them to refrain from issuing statements on the topic until discussions with alliance partners are conducted.
Confirming the development, a senior leader of the Telugu Desam Party stated that the party high command has not dismissed the request. A final decision will be made only after consultations with leaders of the NDA (National Democratic Alliance).