Hyderabad: The Chandrababu Naidu-led Telugu Desam Party (TDP) will not take part in the Telangana electoral battle, NDTV reported on Sunday quoting a senior party source.
The significant decision was reportedly taken at a meeting between Telangana TDP chief Kasani Gnaneswar and Naidu inside Rajahmundry Central Jail where the former Andhra Pradesh CM is lodged.
Naidu was arrested on September 9 for allegedly misappropriating funds from the Skill Development Corporation.
According to the TDP source, Naidu said that with him in jail, it may not be possible for the leadership to campaign in Telangana and the state party chief must explain the circumstances to the cadre.
Telugu Desam, which has a support base in Telangana, won 15 seats in the 2014 assembly elections and 2 seats in 2018 polls. The elected MLAs later shifted loyalty to Bharat Rashtra Samithi, the ruling party headed by chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, popularly known as KCR.
The BRS won 88 of the 119 seats five years ago, getting 47.4 per cent of the total vote share. The Congress came in a distant second with just 19 seats.
Telangana will vote in a single phase on November 30 and results for all five states going to polls next month will be declared on December 3.
