For the past few days, there have been reports that veteran Telugu Desam Party leader and current Goa Governor P Ashok Gajapathi Raju has expressed strong reservations to party president and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu over the importance being given to former Vizianagaram Zilla Parishad chairman Majji Srinivas Rao, alias Chinna Srinu, who recently shifted from the YSR Congress Party to the TDP.
Party sources said that if the speculation about Chinna Srinu being given an MLC seat and later inducted into the state Cabinet turns out to be true, Ashok Gajapathi Raju had even threatened to resign from the Governor’s post.
Amid these reports, Chinna Srinu travelled to Goa on Sunday to meet Ashok Gajapathi Raju at Lok Bhavan in Panaji. He was accompanied by his daughter, Majji Siri Sahasra.
Interestingly, Vizianagaram MLA Aditi Gajapathi Raju, daughter of the Goa Governor, reportedly facilitated the meeting.
Chinna Srinu is said to have explained the circumstances under which he quit the YSRCP and joined the TDP. He reportedly told Ashok Gajapathi Raju that he had no immediate expectations from the party and had joined the TDP unconditionally.
According to sources, the two also discussed North Andhra politics and the role Chinna Srinu could play in the TDP, particularly in Vizianagaram district.
In a statement later, Chinna Srinu said he had sought the blessings of Ashok Gajapathi Raju as he began a new political journey with the TDP.
He said he would work for the development of Vizianagaram district and North Andhra with the guidance and blessings of senior leaders.
However, neither side disclosed the details of what exactly was discussed during the meeting.
This has triggered fresh speculation in Vizianagaram political circles, especially against the backdrop of reports that Chinna Srinu, who had been politically opposed to the Gajapathi Raju family for years, could now be accommodated in the TDP government.
The meeting is therefore being seen as significant, with political observers wondering whether Ashok Gajapathi Raju has softened his stand and cleared the way for Chinna Srinu’s rise within the party.
