Telangana TDP leader Tummala Nageswara Rao quits, may join TRS

HYDERABAD: In a setback to Telugu Desam in Telangana, senior leader and former Minister Tummala Nageswar Rao today resigned from the party amid speculation that he might join the ruling TRS.

"I have resigned from TDP. I cannot tell reasons now. I am not well. I cannot speak much," he told .

Tummala, however, confirmed he was in touch with TRS leaders. "They (TRS) leaders are talking to me. I have not initiated the talks," he said when asked about his political future.

A close aide of Tummala, who hails from Khammam district, about 200km from here, said the resignation letter was sent to TDP office by fax.

According to sources, Tummala has been offered ministerial berth in K Chandrasekhar Rao's Cabinet, as TRS looks to gain further ground in the district, where it has only one MLA - Jalagam Venkata Rao - son of late Chief Minister Jalagam Vengala Rao.

Though Tummala did not publicly cite any reason for leaving the TDP, his growing differences with a senior party leader in the district is said to be the cause for his exit.

In the last Assembly election, Tummala lost Khammam seat to Congress candidate Puvvada Ajay Kumar by a margin of little over 6,000 votes.

He served as a Minister in the N Chandrababu Naidu Cabinet in the undivided Andhra Pradesh.