The Telugu Desam Party is apparently relying on old guard to face the general elections in 2019. There were no surprises as the committees for the Andhra Pradesh and Telangana State and the Central Committees had been reconstituted.
Revuri Prakash Reddy and Dhanasari Anasuya alias Seetakka, both from Telangana, made it to the all-important politburo for the first time. The party accommodated them in place of Ramesh Rathod and Errabelli Dayakar Rao who had joined the TRS.
The latest additions to the politbureau and the lists of names to the three committees were released by Chief Minister and TDP supremo N. Chandrababu Naidu at a media conference here on Saturday. He announced two jumbo committees for both the States and a 21-member Central Committee.
While 105 leaders were accommodated in the AP unit, 114 leaders find their names in the TS list. Energy Minister Kimidi Kala Venkat Rao will continue to head the AP unit, while L. Ramana will head the other unit with Revanth Reddy as the working president.
Mr. Naidu said 46 OCs, 36 BCs, 11 SCs, three STs and nine minorities members were included in the AP committee. Likewise, 54 OCs, 40 BCs, 10 SCs, six STs and four minorities were taken into the Telangana committee. “Not many changes were made in the committees as they were working well,” he said.
Challenging days are ahead for the AP committee as the party chief has set a target of achieving 80% satisfaction and positive perception towards the party among the public. On the other hand, the Telangana unit evidently will have to strive to bring back the party to power.
The Central Committee comprises four vice-presidents and general secretaries each, five official spokespersons, a media convener, treasurer and others. Garikapati Mohan Rao, Konakalla Narayana Rao, Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy, Sandra Venkata Veeraiah and D K Satya Prabha are the vice-presidents.
Mr. Lokesh and Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu are the young Turks made general secretaries. CM Ramesh (Kadapa), Kambhampati Rammohan Rao (Krishna), K. Dayakar Rao (Mahabubnagar-TS), Galla Jayadev (Guntur), Aravind Kumar Goud (Hyderabad) are the official spokespersons, while L.V.S.R..K Prasad is the media convener.
Mr. Naidu accommodated Finance Minister Yanamala Ramakrishnudu, Union Civil Aviation Minister P. Ashok Gajapathi Raju, Deputy Chief Ministers Nimmakayala Chinnarajappa and K. E. Krishna Murthy, Agriculture Minister Somireddy Chandramohan Reddy, R&B Minister Chintakayala Ayyanapatrudu, I&PR Minister Kalava Srinivasulu, Kavali Pratibha Bhartai and Nandamuri Harikrishna from Andhra Pradesh in the 17-member politburo. Leaders from Telangana State include T. Devender Goud, Elimineti Uma Madhava Reddy, Motkupalli Narsimhlu, Ravula Chandrasekhar Reddy and Nama Nageswara Rao.