News: TDP blames GA partners for the loss

HYDERABAD: The blame game in the opposition camp has begun. While the Telugu Desam Party feels that the efforts put in by the party rank and file got diluted because of joining hands with TRS and Left parties. On the other hand, the CPI feels that TDP and TRS had violated the understanding in seat sharing and created confusion leading to drubbing in the polls.

The feeling among the party workers is that the party should not have left 110 seats for the allies particularly when it had grown in strength in Telangana and coastal districts. "The strategy has boomeranged," a senior leader said. "If the party had gone alone, it would have certainly won another 50-60 seats," the party felt.

It also expressed serious concern over the dismal performance of TRS. TRS president K Chandrasekhar Rao had forced the party to part with 33 seats including several constituencies where TRS had no strength causing damage for TDP, they felt.

The TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu, who held a review meeting with party leaders on Sunday, is learnt to have expressed his serious concern over the internal bickerings in the party particularly in Guntur, Krishna and Prakasam districts particularly among the senior leaders and remarked that this had contributed to the poor performance of the party in these three districts. The Yuvagarjna and Naidu’s Mee Kosam yatra had given a new enthusiasm to the cadre but this could not get converted into votes effectively because of infighting among the leaders, Naidu is learnt to have felt.

The party is also of the opinion that it needs to re-work its strategies and strengthen the party in East and West Godavari as well as north coastal districts. Though it had done much better than last time, it needs to regain the lost paradise, Naidu is understood to have said.

A revamping of the party structure and infusing new blood are among the strategies that are being examined. The seniors need to be tamed, Naidu feels. Naidu it may be recalled had been assuring the cadre that the party would give due recognition to them. He now proposes to convene review meeting once every three months and involve the cadre in various activities to see that they do not get demoralised.

Meanwhile, the TDLP meeting is likely to be convened on Monday or Tuesday to elect Naidu as the leader of the legislature party.