Audikesavulu planning a return to Telugu Desam Party?

Having lost his clout with party top brass and political prospectus looks bleak in Congress the former TTD chairman and Congress leader DK Audikesavulu Naidu is contemplating returning to his parent party, the Telugu Desam.

A recent meeting between him and TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu in the latter’s constituency of Kuppam led to the speculation. Audikesavulu represented Chittoor on TDP ticket in the Lok Sabha previously.

During the debate on the no-confidence motion in Parliament on the nuclear deal differences cropped up between Audikesavulu and Chandrababu, with the former supporting the UPA and Chandrababu sailing with the Left parties on the issue.

Audikesavulu could not get Congress ticket in the 2009 elections as the Chittoor Lok Sabha seat was reserved for SCs. However, he was given the prestigious post of chairman of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams’s Board of Trustees.
During the 2009 elections, there were speculations that Audikesavulu would come out of the Congress as his son Srinivaulu contested the Rajampet Lok Sabha seat on PRP ticket, but Audikesavulu remained in the Congress.

With six Rajya Sabha memebrs from the state retiring next month and elections are to be held to fill up the vacancies, the former TTD chairman is aspiring to a Rajay Sabha seat and is in the race for nomination.

Given the circumstances, the chances are belak as the Congress has to accommodate Chiranjeevi as the high command had promised the mega star a prominent position at the Centre for merging his Prajaya Rajyam party with the ruling party.

If Chiranjeevi is taken to the Upper House, the chances of nomination of Audikesavulu Naidu are remote since both of them belong to the same community. The former TTD chairman, who has no political affiliation at present, is keeping his options open.

Recently, when Chandrababu Naidu was in Kuppam to attend a marriage, Audikesavulu called on him. But, when contacted by mediapersons, he maintained that it was just a courtesy call and there was nothing more to it.

But he took the opportunity to crticise chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy and call him and his government corrupt, indicating that all was not well between him and the party’s leadership in the state.

Political observers say that given the circumstances, the possibility of Audikesavulu Naidu joining the TDP can not be ruled out.