It is likely that senior TDP leader Ashok Gajapathi Raju will contest in the next general elections. He has been a long-serving public servant, having first been elected in 1978.
In the 2014 elections, he was elected to the Parliament from Vizianagaram and served as the Minister for Aviation in the Modi government. However, he lost the 2019 elections to YSRCP by a margin of 48,000 votes.
Reportedly, Ashok Gajapathi Raju intends to contest again from the Vizianagaram Lok Sabha constituency in the 2024 General Elections. However, there seems to be a difference in opinion between him and Chandrababu Naidu (CBN), the leader of TDP.
Ashok recently received a call from Chandrababu and had a special meeting with him on Sundays and Mondays. They discussed the candidates for the Vizianagaram Parliament constituency.
While the candidates for most of the seven assembly constituencies have been finalized, there seems to be some uncertainty about Ashok Gajapathi Raju’s candidacy. He expressed his desire to contest from the same constituency where he lost in the last election.
However, the party leadership is considering the possibility of bringing him down to the assembly.
If Ashok Gajapathi Raju decides to contest for the Lok Sabha, the names of his daughter Aditi Gajapathi Raju, Kanakamahalakshmi, and Mesala Geetha may be considered for the Vizianagaram assembly constituency, according to party circles.
