The dissidents are thinking of shifting loyalties after the TDP could not get some seats under Mahakutami. In Maheswaram assembly segment, the election scene changed overnight. TDP Maheswaram mandal president Karrolla Chandraiah along with Srinivas Goud and many other party leaders have resigned from the party. They are trying to shift loyalties to either Congress or TRS.

Maheswaram is allotted to Congress as part of Mahakutami seat sharing. Congress is giving this ticket to former home minister Sabitha Indra Reddy. There has been a long-standing demand that the TDP gets this segment under seat sharing. Following the latest development, TDP leaders have taken the drastic step to resign. This is expected to give problems to the understanding among Mahakutami allies for a united fight against KCR.

The TDP leadership is now in a confusion on how to solve the stalemate in Maheswaram segment. Only recently, former minister and TDP leader T. Devender Goud has called all the local leaders in Maheswaram and asked them to cooperate with the Mahakutami alliance in the elections. He has requested them to honour the decisions of alliance regardless of whether the ticket is allotted to TDP or Congress.

Dissident problem is coming to the fore in some pockets after Congress announced its candidates for 65 seats and TDP for 9 seats. However, Mahakutami leaders are confident they would get over this and put up a united fight to defeat TRS.

G.Ravikiran