YSRC, TDP may back NDA nominee 

VIJAYAWADA: As both the NDA and opposition parties nominated their candidates for the presidential election, the ruling YSRC and opposition TDP are expected to support NDA candidate Draupadi Murmu,While the YSRC went on record as party national general secretary and Rajya Sabha MP congratulating NDA nominee Murmu, the TDP is yet to take a final call on the issue. However, sources said the TDP will also back the NDA candidate, who hails from a tribal community.

Taking to Twitter on Wednesday, Vijayasai Reddy said, “Hearty Congratulations to Smt Draupadi Murmu Ji on being nominated as a candidate for the Presidential Election by NDA. Hon’ble PM Sri @NarendraModi Ji rightly said that you will be a great President of our nation. Our best wishes to you, Madam.” (sic). 

Though YSRC leaders maintained that the party president and Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy will take a decision on the stand of the party in the days to come, political analysts observed that the tweet of Vijayasai Reddy is an indication that the YSRC is going to support the NDA nominee.

Out of the total 25 Lok Sabha MPs from the State, the YSRC has 22 and the TDP 3. In the Rajya Sabha, the strength of YSRC is nine while the TDP has one. In the AP Legislative Assembly, the YSRC strength is 150 out of the total 175 MLAs, while the TDP has 23 and Jana Sena one. 

The remaining one seat (Atmakur in Nellore district) fell vacant due to the demise of former minister Mekapati Goutham Reddy of the YSRC.Out of the 23 TDP MLAs, four of them had turned loyal to the YSRC. Same is the case with the lone MLA of Jana Sena. The TDP leadership is of the view that going by its limited strength in the Assembly as well as in Parliament, it could not change the fate of the presidential election.

When contacted, a senior  TDP leader said the NDA candidate is poised to win the presidential election in the present political scenario and the role of Telugu Desam will be very nominal in the matter. In fact, both the YSRC and the TDP are not allies of the BJP, but both the parties used to extend support to the Union government on several occasions in Parliament.