TDP government bid to replace Council Chairman

Hyderabad: With the ruling Telugu Desam securing a majority in the AP Legislative Council, the party is moving to replace Council Chairman Dr A. Chakrapani with a staunch TD member. Dr Chakrapani, who is from the Congress, has two years of tenure left in the Council as a nominated member. The TD did not have a majority in the Council, that was packed with Congress MLCs, when it came to power last year.

The decimation of the Congress in the polls last year, followed by the defection of several Congress members into the TD boosted the ruling party’s ranks. Following subsequent elections from various categories, the TD now has a majority in the Council.

The increase in seats from 50 to 58 due to an amendment brought by the Centre to the AP Reorganisation Act has also helped TD send more members to the Council.

Currently, the TD has 32 MLCs, with another seven supporting it in the Council which has 57 members.

Chief Minister and TD president N. Chandrababu Naidu recently held consultations with ministers Y. Ramakrishnudu, P. Narayana and others, where the issue of replacing Dr Chakrapani reportedly figured. In Telangana, the TRS, which has only four members in the 40-member Telangana Council, managed to get its leader Swamy Goud elected as Chairman by engineering defections from the TD and the Congress.

Though Dr Chakrapani is considered a staunch Congressman after five decades in public life, he has stopped taking interest in party affairs perhaps realising the political consequences. In the Council, he has not subjected the TD to embarrassment during the last one year.

Sources said, the CM will ask Dr Chakrapani to step down voluntarily to pave the way for a TD nominee. If that does not happen, a no-confidence motion would be moved in next session of the Council to remove him.

Sources said since the Andhra Pradesh Assembly Speaker, Deputy Speaker and Deputy Chairman of the Council are from the upper castes, a leader from backward sections would be nominated for the Chairman’s post. Incidentally, Dr Chakrapani belongs to a BC community from Rayalaseema.