Will former minister and Vizag North MLA Ganta Srinivasa Rao attend Friday’s key meeting of the Telugu Desam Party or not? Will he stay back in the TDP or will he look for green pastures? Will TDP give up on Ganta if he skips the meeting and find a replacement to lead the party in his constituency? These are the questions that are being hotly debated in the TDP circles in Vizag district.

TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu has called for a key meeting of some important party functionaries at Amaravati on Friday. Only 12 persons were sent invitations and Ganta Srinivasa Rao is one among them. But, Ganta has largely been keeping away from the party activities for the last three years. He did not join the protests even when Chandrababu Naidu’s wife Bhuvaneswari was insulted in the assembly.

There were also reports that Ganta tried to join the YSRCP, but was not exactly welcomed there. Similarly, there was a buzz that he was negotiating with the BJP, but nothing came out. He has sent his resignation from the AP Assembly on the issue of Vizag Steel Plant privatization, but never pressed for its acceptance. Of late, he is busy with Kapu politics. In view of all these, whether he would attend the meeting or not has assumed importance.

TDP sources say that if Ganta skips the meeting, Chandrababu Naidu might appoint another incharge for Vizag North so that preparations could be on for the 2024 elections. Hence, all eyes are on what Ganta Srinivasa Rao will do on Friday.