Snap polls next year, says Naidu

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Directing his party leaders to brace for snap polls next year by checking desertions from the party, Telugu Desam president N. Chandrababu Naidu on Saturday asked them to give a fitting reply to Telangana Rashtra Sam-iti chief K. Chandrase-khar Rao’s statements against the TD.

Mr Naidu, who convened an emergency meeting of party’s politburo at Putta Pahad in Parigi of Ranga Reddy district in the midst of his Vastunna Meekosam padayatra, asked party leaders to be ready for elections next year.

Sources in the politburo said Mr Naidu opined that the Centre may go in for Lok Sabha polls in April/May next after presentation of Annual Budget in March or hold simultaneous polls to Parliament and Assem-bly in December 2013.

Quoting his own sources in New Delhi, Mr Naidu told the party politburo that UPA was gearing up for early polls.

Referring to recent spate of desertions from the TD to the YSR Congress, including some MLAs, he asked senior party leaders to hold meetings in all the districts and constituencies and check desertions as he would be busy with the padayatra till January 26 next.

TD chief reportedly told them that they need not worry about those who had quit the party but should prevail upon others to check further desertions.

Mr Naidu said there would be no change in his padayatra programme despite frequent breaks and he would continue on till January 26 as scheduled.

He asked senior party leaders to keep him informed of any developments on the political front.
The politburo meeting was attended by Yanamala Ramakrishnudu, K.E. Krishnamurthy, Kadiam Srihari, Dadi Veerabhadhra Rao, G. Nagesh and others.

The meeting also discussed the statements of TRS chief K. Chandrasekhar Rao and Mr Naidu asked party leaders to give a suitable reply.

Telugu Desam will come out with Declaration on Scheduled Tribes promising them all round
development socio, economic and political development if the party returns to power.

The politburo discussed the “Neelam” onslaught and demanded the Centre to declare floods/rains in the state as a national calamity, pay `5 lakh each to the kin of the dead, compensation to farmers who lost crops and immediate restoration of damaged infrastructure.

It also demanded the state government conduct panchayat elections without further delay.
“Centre should immediately declare the devastation caused by rain in AP as a national calamity and extend all help. The government has miserably failed to provide succour to rain victims,” Mr Veerabhadhra Rao said after the meeting.