The Chandrababu Naidu government has appointed party presidents and general secretaries for all 25 Lok Sabha constituencies in Andhra Pradesh. The selection process considered social equations, past performance, experience, and loyalty.
Party sources said the aim was balanced representation.
Of the 25 constituencies, fourteen party presidents belong to reserved and minority categories. These include eight BCs, four SCs, one ST, and one from minorities. Party leadership said the decisions reflected its social engineering strategy.
Five women leaders have been appointed as party presidents across constituencies. They are Mojoru Tejovati from Araku, Gadde Anuradha from Vijayawada, Panabaka Lakshmi from Tirupati, Gudise Krishnamma from Kurnool, and Gowru Charita Reddy from Nandyal. The move is seen as a push for greater women representation.
Four sitting MLAs have also been named party presidents. They include Badeti Radhakrishna from Eluru, Ugra Narasimha Reddy from Ongole, Gowru Charita Reddy from Nandyal, and MS Raju from Hindupur. Senior leaders were preferred in politically important constituencies.
Among other key appointments are MLC Beeda Ravichandra from Nellore, Anuradha from Vijayawada, and Lakshmi from Tirupati. In the Godavari districts, social balance guided the choices. Mantena Rama Raju of kshatriya community Narsapur, Jyotula Naveen from the Kapu community, and Guttala Sai from the Settibalija community were selected.
Party insiders said the Chief Minister made changes to the list proposed by a three-member committee. These appointments aim to strengthen the Telugu Desam Party at the grassroots level. A mix of senior and junior leaders has been consciously adopted.