While Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu is making moves for a major reshuffle in his cabinet keeping in view of 2019 polls, party insiders are suspecting that it may leads to a massive revolt, unprecedented in the party till now. This was mostly due to Chief Minister’s decision to accommodate few MLAs, who defected from the opposition YSR Congress Party.
Besides several efforts by the party supremo, local TDP leaders are not cooperative with those defected from the YSRCP. They are practically ignoring their presence in the party. Turning restless towards their attitude, Naidu is holding district level review meetings since few days and warning party leaders on the need to put up a united face in their constituencies.
As already there are numerous ministerial aspirants in the party, all of them are threatened their own political survival as YSRCP MLAs are coming on their way. Till now as many as 21 YSRCP MLAs have joined TDP. Chandrababu Naidu himself had assured atleast six of them to provide cabinet berths. Now, he is reportedly planning to induct three to four of them into his cabinet.
Those are said to be front runners from YSRCP MLAs with ministerial ambitions are Bhuma Nagi Reddy (Kurnool dt.), Gottipati Raivkumar (Prakasam), Chand Basha (Anantapur dt.), Sujay Krishna Ranga Rao (Vizianagaram dt), Amarnath Reddy (Chittoor dt.) and Jyothula Nehru (East Godavari).
Several party leaders in those districts are said to be threatening to desert TDP and join YSRCP, if they were inducted into the cabinet. Sensing their revolt mood, already YSRCP chief YS Jaganmohan Reddy has assigned task of contacting them to senior party leaders.
Already in Kurnool district Gangula Prabhakar Reddy joined YSRCP protesting against move to induct Bhuma Nagi Reddy into the cabinet. Shilpa brothers also directly conveyed to Chandrababu Naidu it would be difficult for them to continue in the party if he becomes minister.
In Prkasam district, district TDP president Damacharla Janardhana Rao and veteran TDP leader Karanam Balaramakrishna Murthy also strongly opposing elevation to Ravi Kumar and preparing ground to leave the party. Similar scenarios emerged in other districts also.