Senior TDP leader and former Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams Trust Board chairman Chadalawada Krishnamurthy is likely to join the Jana Sena Party (JSP).
He is likely to announce this on Vijaya Dasami next month.
Sources close to Mr. Krishnamurthy say that he has not been happy with the TDP ever since his tenure at the TTD ended two years ago.
His efforts to contest for the Assembly from Tirupati in the 2019 elections seem to have not fructified as Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu is keen on retaining Sugunamma.
Mr. Krishnamurthy was TDP MLA from Tirupati between 1999 and 2004, and was among the three MLAs who were injured in the Alipiri blast near Tirupati in 2003 along with Mr. Naidu.
Earlier, he had unsuccessfully contested on Congress ticket from Srikalahasti.
Sources said Mr. Krishnamurthy’s affinity with the film industry had prompted him to incline towards the Jana Sena Party.
Caste factor
The other prominent factor is that he belongs to the dominant Balija community, which has 35% vote share in the district.
Mr. Krishnamurthy is likely to contest from Tirupati or Srikalahasti.