Intense groupism seems to be the undoing of the Telugu Desam Party in its citadel of Krishna district. The leaders are working at cross purposes and are trying to pull each other’s leg. As a result, the party is not in a position to take on the might of the ruling YSRCP. Even after the recent MPTC and ZPTC election results, the party seems unwilling to learn any lessons.
In Mopidevi mandal of Krishna district, the groupism in the party has come to the fore in the MPP elections and senior leader N Janardhana Rao and his wife have resigned from the party protesting against the denial of the MPP position. The party reportedly promised Rao that his wife Janani Kumari would be made the MPP in Mopidevi mandal. She had won from the Merakanapalli MPTC seat.
However, after the election, the TDP has announced another person as the party nominee. Protesting against what they called the ‘betrayal,’ Rao and his wife quit the party. A large number of party workers too resigned from the TDP. Rao is a close relative of the former minister Kollu Ravindra. Rao said that the TDP was not giving proper importance to the fisherfolk community in Krishna district.
Intense groupism is hitting the party where it hurts most. In Vijayawada town, the party has several groups each fighting the other. In Kanchikacharla too the same situation exists. The party’s top leadership will have to step in quickly and sort out the differences before it’s too late.
