The Telugu Desam Party has decided against participating in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in Telangana. A senior party official stated that while the TDP is allied with the NDA in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh, it has yet to finalise its stance on supporting any specific candidate in Telangana.

However, TDP spokesperson Jyothsna Tirunagari mentioned that the party intends to resume its political activities by fielding candidates in the upcoming local body elections expected to occur in June or July this year.

"We are part of the NDA, but we have decided not to contest the Lok Sabha polls in Telangana," she informed PTI. "The party's senior leadership will decide whom to support in the upcoming polls in Telangana. Currently, there are no instructions regarding this matter."

The TDP's political journey has encountered rough weather over the past few years, exacerbated by TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu's arrest by the Andhra Pradesh police in a graft case.

After his arrest, the party opted out of participating in the assembly polls held in Telangana on November 30 last year. This decision led to the defection of the state president, Kasani Gnaneswar, who left the TDP to join the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) led by former Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao before the polls.

Since then, the Telugu Desam Party in Telangana has been without leadership and has experienced the departure of several leaders and members. In the 2018 Assembly polls in Telangana, the TDP, which won two seats, secured 3.51 percent of the votes. At that time, it had formed a pre-poll alliance with Congress and the CPI.

As the Telugu Desam Party abstained from contesting the elections last year, its leaders were courted by other political parties, resulting in a redistribution of its voter base during the Assembly polls.

In response to an inquiry, Tirunagari stated that there were no official directives regarding which party to support in the upcoming 2023 Assembly elections in Telangana. The decision on endorsing a candidate was entrusted to the local leadership, who made their choices based on the prevailing circumstances in their respective constituencies.

"The appointment of a president for the Telangana unit of the party will be determined during Mahanadu (the TDP's annual convention)," added the TDP leader.

Image source: ANI