TDP senior leader and Bheemili MLA Ganta Srinivasa Rao is unlikely to contest in the next Assembly election. Reports suggest he wants his son, Ravi Teja, to enter politics as his successor.
Ganta continues to manage party and government activities in Bheemili and often accompanies Nara Lokesh during his visits to Visakhapatnam. On his birthday, he met Minister Lokesh at Undavalli and donated ₹5 lakh to the CM Relief Fund.
Amid Cyclone Montha’s impact, Ravi Teja impressed party leaders by cancelling his birthday celebrations and contributing funds for relief work. Lokesh, seen as TDP’s future and a likely CM candidate, is building a young team by promoting political heirs over seniors.
Ganta’s relationship with Lokesh has been strained. After 2019, reports claimed Ganta considered joining the YSR Congress but didn’t receive Jagan Mohan Reddy’s approval. For a while, he functioned independently and even resigned over the Steel Plant privatization issue without informing the party.
Sensing a TDP resurgence before the last election, Ganta became active again and secured the Bheemili ticket. However, Lokesh reportedly blocked his cabinet berth, unhappy with his earlier distance from the party after the 2019 defeat.
Lokesh now seems to be balancing power by supporting Ganta’s son while limiting Ganta’s influence. The move sends a message within the party while keeping a strong leader like Ganta in the fold.
Ganta has won six elections five as MLA and one as MP. With his experience and age on his side, he may aim for Parliament next while Ravi Teja contests the Assembly. The final call, however, rests with the TDP High Command on whether both father and son will get tickets.
