Former minister Anam Ramanarayana Reddy had quit the ruling Telugu Desam Party. A popular leader in the Nellore district, Ramanarayana Reddy and his late brother Vivekananda Reddy were not happy with the TDP during their brief stay in the party. It was said that the brothers would quit the TDP and join YSR Congress. But, Vivekananda Reddy died of illness and the political decision in the family was postponed.
Now, two months after his brother’s death, Ramananrayana Reddy had made up his mind and quit the TDP. Though he had not made his mind clear to the people on where would he go next, it is widely speculated in Nellore politics that the former minister would join the YSR Congress. There have been enough feelers from the family and the party as well that Anam would join Jaganmohan Reddy and initial talks were already held.
Ramanarayana Reddy had been active in the district politics for nearly three decades. He had won the Nellore Assembly seat in 1983 on TDP ticket and became Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh chairman. After the infamous Nadendla Bhaskara Rao episode and the subsequent election in 1985, he contested on TDP ticket from Rapur. But, when Nallapureddi Srinivasulu Reddy had differences with NTR over the growing influence of Chandrababu Naidu in the party, NTR removed Nallapureddi from the Cabinet and inducted Ramanarayana Reddy into the Cabinet. In 1989 elections Ramanarayana Reddy lost the elections and the Congress had come back to power.
The Anam family had returned to the Congress following Nedurmalli Janardhana Reddy becoming the Chief Minister in 1991. Ramanarayana Reddy contested from Rapur while his brother Vivekananda Reddy contested from Nellore in 1994. Though both of them lost the election they were successful in 1999, 2004 and 2009. Ramanarayana Reddy played key role in Congress politics criticising Chandrababu Naidu’s liberalisation and privatisation politics.
In 2009 when Rosiah became Chief Minister following the death of Rajasekhar Reddy, Ramanarayana Reddy became the finance minister and continued in Kirankumar Reddy’s cabinet too. At one point of time, Ramanarayana Reddy became the choice of the Congress to succeed Kirankumar Reddy, who by then, was against the party high command opposing bifurcation. But the Congress decided to have President’s Rule in the last minute and thus Ramanarayana Reddy lost the chance to become the Chief Minister.
They did not contest the 2014 elections and remained silent and inactive till they joined the TDP in 2016. In no time, they realised that TDP is not their home and the day became a reality with Ramanararayana Reddy quitting the TDP finally, a few months after the death of his brother Vivekananda Reddy.
