Chandrababu Naidu clan to play key role in polls

Hyderabad: Telugu Desam president, N. Chandrababu Naidu’s clan is all set to play a key role in the ensuing elections.

Actor and brother-in-law Balakrishna is tipped for a Rajya Sabha berth from NTR family quota in lieu of Harikrishna, who has fallen out with Naidu, and also a star campaigner, party sources say.

“Actor Balakrishna’s chances are bright for RS seat. He will turn into a star campaigner and will be the face of the NTR family in polls. If he turns down the RS berth, he may get an Assembly ticket,”?a senior TD MLA told this newspaper.

Harikrishna and his son, Jr. NTR, though promise to stand by the party formed by father and grandfather NTR, have turned cold towards Naidu of late.

Naidu has directed his son Lokesh, who is quite active in the party, to look after the Kuppam Assembly constituency as well as Chittoor affairs, suggest new health schemes for the party manifesto and strengthen the party in the district.

Party leaders say that as the coming polls are considered to be crucial for Naidu’s political survival, he would pull out all stops to ensure a win in Seemandhra region in the event of state’s bifurcation and save the party in Telangana.

“You need not be surprised if the entire family, including wife Bhuvaneshwari and daughter-in-law Brahmani, are roped in for campaigning. Both of them have made a public appearance recently,”?a senior leader said.

Naidu, who returned to capital after spending Sankranti in his native village of Naravaripalle in Chittoor, started zeroing in on RS candidates and discussing the strategy to be adopted by party in Assembly over bifurcation bill.

With RS polls drawing closer, the clamour for two winnable RS seats from the party leaders proving to be a difficult task for Naidu.

According to another MLA, there is no representation from Kapu, Reddy and SC community in the Rajya Sabha from the party. “Chances of M. Narasimhulu and B. Narasimhulu from the SC quota are bright. There is also a long standing party leader Garkapati Mohan Rao, who supported the party financially yet missed the RS bus twice,” he explained.

Senior party leaders, who have served the party long without reward now want RS seats to be awarded to only “committed party workers and not moneybags.”

“Naidu should give it to committed party leaders and not industrialists. I am confident this will be the priority,”?a ticket aspirant said. A silent campaign “ticket for true worker” is underway.