HYDERABAD: With former minister and TDP strongman from Khammam district Tummala Nageswara Rao along with Khammam zilla parishad chairperson G Kavitha and a host of other elected public representatives from the district joining TRS, the yellow party is almost finished in the district.
Tummala along with other party leaders from the district joined the pink party in the presence of party chief and chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao at the Telangana Bhavan here on Friday. Tummala has been influencing Khammam politics for well over 30 years and his joining TRS is a big jolt to the TDP.
Tummala’s resignation left the TDP severely handicapped in Khammam, one of the very few districts where the TDP has some support base.
Now it will be left with only Nama Nageswara Rao faction, which was defeated badly in the recent elections.
In the last Assembly election, Tummala lost Khammam seat to Congress candidate Puvvada Ajay Kumar by a margin of little over 6,000 votes. He served as a minister in the Chandrababu Naidu Cabinet in the undivided Andhra Pradesh.
Tummala, who was sore at being sidelined in the party, announced his resignation from the party and faxed his resignation letter to party chief N Chandrababu Naidu last Saturday.
The former minister, who joined the TDP in 1982, contested but lost the 1983 election. However, he won in 1985 and served as minor irrigation minister.
Later, he won from Sattupalli in 1994 and 1999 and served as minister for prohibition and excise, major irrigation and roads and buildings.