Telugu Desam Party seems to have opened the door for the leaders and MLAs of YSR Congress and Congress. These leaders are restless in opposition as well as finding it tough to be loyal to the arrogant and careless party leaderships and looking out for new options. TDP remained silent over these defections for some time but as the leaders start going to BJP and strengthening the saffron party, Chandrababu Naidu got alert and is admitting the leaders one after the other.
But in the process, TDP leadership may well open some old wounds. The party cadre is widely divided over admitting these leaders as they find it tough to mingle with them after fighting years with them. However Chandrababu is cautious in this affair. He reportedly spoke to some of the leaders and assured them admitting the leaders will not create a problem for the existing ones as the Assembly constituencies will anyways increase up to 225 for the next election.
For an instance, Konathala and Dhadi trying to join TDP in Uttarandhra is causing a major issue there. Gandi Babji who is in Konathala group earlier aimed a pistol at a TDP leader Nargis during the by-election to the Visakha-I assembly constituency in 2005-06. TDP cadres, especially from Parawada and Pendurthy mandals, are not at all happy with Babji’s entry into TDP as they had been harassed by him during the Congress rule in the state.
