VIJAYAWADA: Even if some aspirants who are not sure of getting party tickets in the ensuing elections, have started expressing their dissent against the leadership, TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu has taken a firm decision to go ahead with selecting candidates of his choice based on the information he got through surveys and other sources.
According to TDP sources, Naidu, while making it clear that he is selecting candidates going on their capabilities to win the election, has warned that the party will not hesitate to take action against those who oppose the decisions of the leadership.
Chairing a meeting of the TDP constituency observers recently, Naidu is learnt to have informed them the criteria he has adopted to finalise the party candidates as the next elections are crucial for the very existence of TDP. A senior TDP leader told TNIE that apart from surveys, Naidu is gathering information from the party rank and file about the winning chances of probable candidates in all the constituencies before taking a final decision.
The recent appointment of former minister Kanna Lakshminarayana as the TDP in charge of Sattenapalli Assembly constituency has triggered a row with Kodela Sivaram, son of former Assembly Speaker Kodela Siva Prasada Rao blaming the party leadership for ignoring his family.
Sivaram alleged that the TDP leadership took the decision unilaterally on the appointment of Kanna as the party incharge of Sattenapalli without consulting the party rank and file in the constituency. However, the TDP leadership sent a group of leaders to pacify Sivaram by promising to do justice to him before or after the elections.
In Gudivada, the TDP is said to be encouraging industrialist Venigandla Ramu, who returned from the US, to take on former minister Kodali Sri Venkateswara Rao (Nani) of the ruling YSRC in the next elections. Though Ravi Venkateswara Rao, who took up the party activities in the constituency, did not utter a word against the decision of the party leadership, it is likely to cause differences in the party rank and file in Gudivada before the elections.
Similarly, as there are instances of the party putting capitalists running trusts and foundations in the front row in some more constituencies, former minister P Pulla Rao reportedly suggested the leadership to desist from encouraging such persons as they sans leadership qualities, but only desire to be in the news by spending money.
Despite dissent from some leaders on selection of candidates, the TDP supremo is learnt to have asserted that he is selecting strong candidates and those disobeying the party line should have to face severe consequences. Observing that the people are impressed with the first part of the TDP manifesto, Naidu exhorted the party rank and file to focus on explaining the salient features ‘Bhavisyathuku Guarantee’ to get the people’s mandate.