Trouble brewing for TDP in Telangana?

The major opposition TDP appears to be in for a major shock in the next few days. If claim by TRS is of any indication then some MLAs from Adilabad and Karimnagar and a former MLA from Warangal district are likely to quit the party and join TRS soon after the return of KCR from his five-day New Delhi visit.

Among those who may join TRS, they claim are Dr N Sudhakar Rao, former MLA from Warangal, Mudhole MLA S Venugopalachari and J Ramana from Adilabad district, Choppadandi MLA S Devaiah and G Kamalakar from Karimnagar. Even the name of E Dayakar Rao from Warangal district is being mentioned in TRS circles but Rao and Ramana refuted this as "malicious propaganda". Efforts to contact S Venugopalachari did not succeed.

However, TDP young turk A Revanth Reddy rubbished this as a "cheap and dirty trick" being played by TRS. According to him the TRS has been trying its best to woo the TDP cadre but has not been successful. "Like Bakasura (the hungry demon) KCR is trying to rope in few lower rung workers." He said there was no question of any big leader quitting the party. The byelections is no indicator of TRS strength. People voted in favour of T state and not for TRS. Adilabad and Karimnagar are among the strongholds of TDP and there is no question of anyone leaving the party, he added.

But the fact remains that some ZPTC and MPTC members in Telangana had quit TDP and switched over to TRS in the last few days. Even on Wednesday about 100 TDP workers are said to have joined TRS.

TDP has been facing a tough time in the region ever since the bypoll results were out. While the TRS has been on the offensive, none of the TDP leaders including N Janardhan Reddy or E Dayakar Rao have been rebutting the comments and criticism made by KCR. The party president N Chandrababu Naidu had on many occasions pulled up the party leaders on this issue but still no one was willing to take on KCR.