Hyderabad: Vyricherla Kishore Chandra Suryanarayana Deo, a senior Congress leader, has met TDP supremo and Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu and confirmed his joining the ruling party in AP. Deo is reportedly seeking Lok Sabha ticket from Araku constituency. Deo has already resigned from Congress.

“It was only a courtesy meeting and will join TDP very soon. I don’t see any alternative to TDP in Andhra Pradesh,” said Deo, who had served as union minister for tribal and panchayat raj in then Dr Manmohan Singh’s Cabinet during UPA ruling.

He sent his resignation to Congress president Rahul Gandhi. However, Congress party didn’t respond on his resignation so far. is an Indian politician and a member of the Indian National Congress political party. He has been elected to the Lok Sabha for five times, and has also held one term in the Rajya Sabha. Deo belongs to the Konda Dora community, which falls under scheduled tribe (ST), and hails from a family of tribal hill chiefs. Deo was MP from Araku (ST) constituency during 2009-2014 and from July 2011 to May 2014.

He was also union minister of state for steel, mines and coal during 1979-80. Deo lost in 2014 elections from Araku constituency as Congress tasted a humiliating defeat in Andhra Pradesh following the AP bifurcation.