Warangal, June 05: By nominating Gundu Sudharani, a BC leader, to the Rajyasabha, Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief Nara Chandrababu Naidu shocked two of his party leaders Kadiyam Srihari and Errabelli Dayakar Rao.
The two groups have been active in the district politics for the last 15 years. As they were given power to finalise candidates in the elections, no wonder district politics revolved around them.
When TDP was in power, Kadiyam Srihari ensured that nobody in the district was given minister post. He worked as a minister continuously for nine years in two terms. Though Errabelli Dayakar Rao tried for minister post but in van.
However, Chandrababu Naidu has been giving equal importance to both of them. Hitherto both of them had been of the view that Chandrababu Naidu would never fail to honour their word. But in Sudharani’s case, they got shock of their life.
Kadiyam Srihari himself wanted to be nominated to the Upper House. His followers even passed a resolution forcibly at the recent party meeting in this regard whereas Errabelli Dayakar Rao began efforts to get settler Garikapati Mohan Rao nominated to Rajya Sabha.
Convinced that Rajya Sabha seat is not within her reach, even Gundu Sudharani, who has been working for the party for the last 12 years, urged the party chief to nominate Garikapati Mohan Rao to Rajya Sabha.
She herself was shocked when the TDP chief nominated her. “I never imagined that I would become Rajya Sabha member. When Chandrababu Naidu told me that he was sending me to Rajya Sabha, I couldn’t believe it,” screamed Sudharani over phone from Hyderabad.
She was supposed to contest from Warangal East in 2009 elections but lost the opportunity as the TDP had to give it to the TRS as part of the seat sharing agreement. She was humbled in 2004 elections. In the past, she worked as TTD Executive Board member.
She said she owed a lot to the party chief and would strive her best for the development of the district.]
—Agencies