TD Men Left Fuming over Induction of Turncoats
Is the TDP leadership trying to depend on Congress’ spent force to wage the electoral battle which is life-and-death issue for the party? Is party chief N Chandrababu Naidu banking on deadwood from the ruling party to regain power in the ensuing general elections instead of betting on his own army?
Following Naidu’s efforts to induct as many leaders as possible from the Congress in Seemandhra into the TDP, some of his close aides have begun expressing these doubts.
Naidu may be on cloud nine following unending influx of leaders from the Congress to his party, but, several of his party leaders are apprehending that the admission of last-minute turncoats into the yellow party might become a liability to it.
The following is the argument of the TDP leaders, who are disapproving of Naidu’s binge of inducting defectors.
One, it will not be easy for the TDP chief to decide party tickets in the constituencies where new entrants into the party from the Congress are also in the race for party nomination. If Naidu allots tickets to the new entrants, the party may have to face the ire of old guards or vice versa, which could badly hit the electoral prospects of the party in the general polls.
Two, even though Congress leaders are joining the party by severing their long-standing association with the party, their cadres at grassroots level might not change their political allegiance easily as they may not suddenly bury the hatchet with their TDP counterparts in their respective segments.
Three, several of the Congress leaders who are boarding the yellow ship are facing the ire of the voters in their respective constituencies by virtue of members of the ruling party, which has been ruling the state for 10-long years. Even though the leaders shifted their political loyalty all of sudden, the voters might not change their opinion on them immediately. Hence, fielding of turncoats in the general polls might be counterproductive.
Four, though there is an argument that the ongoing influx of Congress leaders into the TDP might create a feel-good atmosphere for the party in the ensuing panchayat and municipal polls, whose results could influence the popular mood towards the general polls, the negative side of it is that Naidu’s enthusiasm to induct turncoats into his party might show his desperation. Hence, they say that instead of admitting every leader from the Congress into the party, the TDP chief should be more selective.