HYDERABAD: Former minister and onetime Congress loyalist Mandali Buddha Prasad is all set to become the Deputy Speaker of the Andhra Pradesh Assembly unopposed. The veteran politician, who represents Avanigadda seat in the AP Assembly as TDP member, filed nomination papers for the post of Deputy Speaker on Friday evening here. As no other MLA filed papers for the post before the expiry of the deadline, Buddha Prasad’s election for the coveted post is a mere formality. Buddha Prasad is the son of former Congress minister Mandali Venkata Krishna Rao. Prasad was elected as MLA from Avanigadda Assembly segment in 1999 and 2004 elections on Congress ticket. Later, he served as minister for animal husbandry, dairy development and fisheries from 2007 to 2009 in the then YS Rajasekhara Reddy’s government. He lost elections in 2009 with a slight margin of 417 votes. He joined the TDP a few days before the 2014 general polls and won the polls from Avanigadda segment. By nominating Buddha Prasad, a Kapu leader from Krishna district, to the Deputy Speaker’s post, AP chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu seems to be planning to further woo Kapus, an influential community in Coastal Andhra, into the partyfold. Naidu earlier reportedly considered the name of Dalit leader Gollapalli Surya Rao, who represents Razole (SC) segment in East Godavari district, also a former Congress minister, for the Deputy Speaker’s post. But, later he changed his decision and inclined towards Buddha Prasad. Meanwhile, Naidu is learnt to have more or less finalised the name of former MP and MLA Kalava Srinivasulu, who represents Rayadurg segment in Anantapur district, for the post of government chief whip. Srinivasulu hails from Boya community and worked as a journalist before becoming MP on TDP ticket in 1999 general polls.