Droupadi Murmu scripted history on Thursday by becoming India's first tribal President in the one-sided contest, defeating Opposition candidate Yashwant Sinha.
The number of Congress MPs to resign to protest against the Centre's decision to carve out a separate Telangana state from Andhra Pradesh has gone up to three, while 90 MLAs from Congress, Telugu Desam Party and Praja Rajyam have also resigned. Two TDP MPs have also submitted their resignation.
Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Friday lambasted BJP and TDP for doing nothing for the country's farmers during the six years of National Democratic Alliance rule. Addressing a massive farmers' rally at Jaggampeta town in Andhra Pradesh after dedicating the first phase of the Rs 600-crore Thota Venkatachalam Pushkara lift irrigation project, Sonia questioned BJP and TDP's credentials to champion the cause of the farmers when these parties were out of power.
The BJP's bandh call, separately endorsed by the Maoists, was meant to mark protest against the delay in the formation of separate Telangana state by the Congress-led UPA government. However, the bandh evoked mixed response though the BJP leaders and activists went around the towns and cities across Telangana to enforce the call.
In the biggest policy reversal in its 26-year-long history, the Telugu Desam Party on Thursday announced its support to the formation of Telangana state by bifurcating Andhra Pradesh.
Eleven Telangana Rashtra Samithi members were suspended from the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly for obstructing its proceedings on Friday morning. It is the second time in two days that the TRS members have been suspended.
"To everyone worried about my safety, Id like to inform you that I am safe. Gods grace and the love, concern and blessings of the people of Andhra Pradesh will protect me. "Such cowardice will not dissuade me but only strengthen my resolve to work for the people of my state," Reddy tweeted upon his arrival in Hyderabad.
The son of Telugu Desam Party founder-president and legendary actor N T Rama Rao, Balakrishna will plunge into active politics on October 24 with the Yuva Garjana being organised by the TDP.
TDP members, led by their leader K Yerrannaidu, were on their feet as soon as the House assembled accusing the Maharashtra government of constructing these projects 'illegally'.
Former Telugu Desam Party MP Yelamanchali Sivaji and an ex-IAS officer T Chandrasekhar of Maharashtra cadre on Tuesday joined the Praja Rajyam party floated by Telugu superstar Chiranjeevi. Sivaji, a former Rajya Sabha member and an expert on farmers' issues, joined the actor's party along with a large number of his followers from Guntur district.
Leaders of the Left parties, the Bahujan Samaj Party and the Telugu Desam Party will meet President Pratibha Patil on Tuesday to demand immediate convening of Parliament session. The meeting comes in the wake of the Left demand that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh should quit for "lying to people and Parliament" on the Indo-US nuclear deal.
The opposition Telugu Desam party received another big jolt on Thursday with senior leader and former minister Tammineni Sitaram quitting its ranks and joining the Praja Rajyam party of film-star turned politician Chiranjeevi.
Just a day after the star held his maiden press conference to say he was coming into public life to serve the people, a member of Parliament of Congress, two senior leaders of the Telugu Desam Party and several other prominent figures announced their decision to join his party.
Telugu Desam president N Chandrababu Naidu launched his campaign for the next elections with a slew of populist promises offering goodies to different sections. Addressing a huge public meeting, marking the conclusion of his 117-day-long Mee Kosam Yatra (For You Yatra) at Anantapur on Friday evening, Naidu promised 13-hour-free electricity supply to farmers, against the supply of seven hours now.
Lakshmi Parvathy, wife of the TDP founder late NT Rama Rao, has warned popular Telugu actor and NTR's grand son Junior NTR against campaigning for Chandrababu Naidu, saying it will destroy his future forever.
The Congress and NCP are partners for a decade but both share the same political and ideological space but compete for growth. That implies one trying to grow at the expense of the other partner. Which, in turn, means identifying seats which can be assuredly won, improving the hit-rate so that when the final tally comes in, claims can be made about the which of the two is leading the other.
In a bid to out-do the ruling Congress party and others in populist promises, the main opposition Telugu Desam party on Thursday announced that if it comes to power in the next month's elections to the state assembly, it will provide a colour television set to each poor family in Andhra Pradesh.
The Congress and the Grand Alliance of the Telugu Desam Party, the Telengana Rashtra Samithi, the Communist Party of India-Marxist and the Communist Party of India are expected to be locked in a direct contest for electoral supremacy in Andhra Pradesh, with Praja Rajyam Party likely to emerge as a dark horse with its chief Chiranjeevi hoping to do an Obama with his 'change' mantra.
M Jagnnadham, one of the two rebel Telugu Desam Party members of Lok Sabha, has been expelled from the party for violating the party whip and casting vote in support of the United Progressive Alliance government in Parliament on Tuesday.
Former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, a key ally of the previous Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led NDA government, today said his Telugu Desam Party will never help L K Advani become Prime Minister nor support any BJP government at the Centre.
The seat sharing has become the biggest challenge before the four party Grand Alliance led by the Telugu Desam party. The TDP president, N Chandrababu Naidu is under tremendous pressure from his partners' demand for a larger number of Lok Sabha and assembly seats.
The Grand Alliance of opposition in Andhra Pradesh, headed by the Telugu Desam chief N Chandrababu Naidu, continues to suffer from teething problems and confusion. In a setback to the Telangana Rashtra Samiti, one of the constituents of the alliance, the TDP president Chandrababu Naidu has made it clear that the GA will not have any common agenda or program.
Andhra Pradesh Governor N D Tewari on Thursday described the tragic death of Chief Minister Y S Rajshekhera Reddy and four others in a helicopter crash, approximately 40 nautical miles east of Kurnool, as one of the saddest moments in his career, and added that it would take him some time to recover from it.Telugu Desam Party leader Yerran Naidu said, "We are shocked by YSR's death"."He was a very hands-on chief minister," said Renuka Chowdhury.
The errant TDP members stormed into the well of the House and continued to shout slogans near the podium in spite of repeated appeals by the Speaker to resume their seats. Raising his voice, the Speaker thundered "Enough is enough. Please go back to your seats. What tamasha is this? You are only making a mockery of democracy," before adjourning the House.
Telugu Desam party is facing a storm in Andhra Pradesh. Within days of party's most influential leader in Telangana region, T Devender Goud, quitting its ranks to form his own party, the TDP has loss yet another strong leader -- this time in the Rayala Seema region.
As the assembly elections loom large over Andhra Pradesh, a race of sorts has already begun among the political parties to offer sops and make populist promises.
Opposition parties over the searches conducted by the CID on Margadarsi Financiers owned by media baron Ramoji Rao
A backward class leader from neighbouring Ranga Reddy district, Goud -- who is also a member of the party's politburo -- had been mounting pressure on the leadership for an early decision on the demand for a separate Telangana state. The former minister had, off late, emerged a rallying point for protagonists of separate Telangana state within the TDP.
T Devender Goud the TDP's senior most and influential leader in the Telangana region has dropped hints of his intention to quit the party over the Telangana issue.
The grandiose plans of the opposition parties in Andhra Pradesh to form a 'grand alliance' to ensure the defeat of ruling Congress party were lying in tatters as the recently established relations between the main opposition Telugu Desam Party and powerful regional party Telangana Rashtra Samiti reaching a breaking point on the issue of seat sharing.
That Goud, a strong backward class leader from Telangana region, was all set for "home coming" became clear on Sunday when he spoke to TDP President N Chandrababu Naidu over phone. It was the second round of talk between the two after Goud had personally met Naidu a few days ago.
Chandrababu Naidu was on Monday unanimously re-elected the president of the Telugu Desam Party for a two-year term as there was no other nomination, senior party leader P Ashok Gajapathi Raju announced on the final day of three-day party convention.
A young Congress candidate has created history in the Andhra Pradesh assembly bypolls by securing a previously unheard of majority of 1,92000 votes. P Vishnuvardhan Reddy of Congress, who was fielded from Khairatabad assembly constituency after the death of his father P Janardhan Redddy, a popular leader, won the seat with a massive margin by defeating his nearest rival of Lok Satta Party.
An increased political role for the family members of Telugu matinee idol the late N T Rama Rao, in the Telugu Desam Party, became evident with their joint participation on Wednesday, in the 86th birth anniversary function, of the former Andhra Pradesh chief minister.
K Venkatappa Naidu, a TDP leader facing several criminal cases, his brother, two gunmen and four other associates died at Bodanuru village in the faction-ridden district when some bombs exploded soon after their vehicle collided against a lorry, the police said. It was not clear how the explosion occurred. Police are looking into whether the bombs being carried in the vehicle exploded or there was any attack from outside.
After they were suspended from the State Assembly for disrupting the Question Hour, 46 opposition members, led by Leader of the Opposition N T Rama Rao, took out a rally from the Assembly premises to the state Raj Bhavan.
Naidu set out on the yatra in a specially built campaign bus from Matammagudi (local temple) in a Dalit colony in Rayalapuram village in his native Chittoor district, after seeking divine blessings of Lord Venkateswara at the famed Tirumala-Tirupati Devasthanam. With the next Assembly elections barely a year away, Naidu is undertaking the marathon yatra to dethrone the Congress regime led by Dr Y S Rajasekhar Reddy. Naidu's yatra will enter Nalgonda district from Guntur.
The Left parties and Telugu Desam Party jointly staged a protest at Indira Park in Hyderabad on Thursday in protest against the failure of Andhra Pradesh and Central governments in controlling the abnormal hike in the prices of essential commodities. The parties vowed to take up 'serious agitation' in future if the governments failed to act swiftly to control the price rise.
The Communist Party of India announced alliance with main opposition Telugu Desam Party for assembly elections in Andhra Pradesh scheduled to be held early next year saying the main objective of such a tie-up is to defeat ruling Congress.
In a letter to the prime minister, he had demanded Dr Singh to visit Mudigonda village to console the families of the police firing victims.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances