Congress leader Patnam Mahender Reddy’s wife, Sunitha Mahender Reddy, recently posted on social media, recalling her past association with the Telugu Desam Party and her closeness with Chandrababu Naidu.
She had contested the last election as a Congress MP candidate but remained inactive in the party since then. Her post has now sparked speculation about whether she plans to return to TDP.
This isn’t the first time rumours have surfaced about leaders joining TDP in Telangana. Earlier, similar reports circulated about Mallareddy and Kadiyam Srihari, but none of them made the move.
The larger question remains why would any leader join TDP in Telangana today? The party has been struggling for years without strong leadership. With Naidu and Lokesh busy rebuilding the party in Andhra Pradesh, TDP’s Telangana unit has been left directionless.
Since losing power in 2004, most leaders have left for other parties. After the state bifurcation, the situation only worsened. In 2014, TDP managed to win 15 Assembly seats but later dropped to just two.
The party didn’t even contest the 2023 elections as Naidu was in jail and there was no time for preparation. It hasn’t had a state president for over two years, and activities have completely stopped.
With no visible effort to revive the party, TDP’s presence in Telangana is almost non-existent. For leaders in the state, joining TDP seems pointless when Congress is in power, BRS remains strong, and BJP continues to expand in urban areas.
At this stage, TDP stands as a distant fourth in Telangana’s political landscape, with little to attract active politicians.
