Vijayawada: Leaders and cadres of Telugu Desam have started staging protests at various places in Andhra Pradesh after being denied party tickets on Saturday, even expressing anger against party chief N. Chandrababu Naidu. TD leaders of Pedana and Anakapalli assembly constituencies have started staging protests.
TD leadership’s decision to field Kagita Venkata Rao is being seen as a betrayal by former deputy speaker Buragadda Veda Vyas. Buragadda, currently serving as state vice-president of the party, had been hoping for a ticket from Pedana constituency. The denial of ticket has caused him so much pain that he has fell ill while discussing the issue with his followers at Chinnapandraka village.
Buragadda has been shifted to the hospital, where he is under close medical supervision. Peela Govind has criticised the TD leadership for giving the Anakapalli MLA seat to Jana Sena Party. He said his supporters are asking him to contest the upcoming elections as an independent candidate.
Amid growing dissatisfaction within the TD, protests have erupted in the Rayachoti constituency of Annamayya district after Ramesh Kumar Reddy has been denied the ticket. Protests have also intensified in Lakkireddipalli, where TD banners and pamphlets have been set on fire at the crossroads. Slogans such as "Chandrababu Down Down" and "Lokesh Down Down" are reverberating through the streets.
Minorities are also up in arms against Telugu Desam chief Nara Chandrababu Naidu for allotting only one seat. YSR Congress medical wing vice president Dr. Mehboob Shaikh pointed out that Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy has allocated four of the 67 seats to minorities.
