Two former Andhra Pradesh ministers - TG Venkatesh and E Pratap Reddy - join TDP

HYDERABAD: In a setback to the beleaguered Congress in Seemandhra, two former ministers in the Kiran Kumar Reddy government joined TDP.

TG Venkatesh and E Pratap Reddy, both belonging to Kurnool district in Rayalaseema region, joined the TDP in the presence of its chief N Chandrababu Naidu.

Regretting the division of Andhra Pradesh by Congress, they expressed confidence that the new Andhra Pradesh (Seemandhra) can be developed in all spheres by Naidu alone.

The joining of the two senior leaders in TDP only adds to the long list of Congress leaders who have switched over to TDP in recent times in protest against the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh.

Former minister Galla Aruna Kumari, her son and industrialist Galla Jaidev, Congress MLAs Adala Prabhakar Reddy, Sridhar Krishna Reddy, B Satyananda Rao are among the Congress leaders in Seemandhra who have joined the TDP.

Several other Congress leaders are expected to join the regional party in the days to come.