Hyderabad: Lobbying to get on the Board of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam has reached its peak. The office of the President of India office has sent a letter to the Andhra Pradesh government recommending a name to be nominated for the TTD Board.
The letter stated, “The President of India desires this case may be considered to be nominated on the TTD Board that is to be constituted.” The name recommended is of Brahma Chary, a Hindi lecturer and resident of Tirupati.
“Obviously, Mr Chary has connections in the President’s office. The letter has been forwarded to Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu,” a highly-placed source said.
The CM is already under immense pressure to constitute the Board early. He has also been faced with increasing demands from political leaders from the BJP, an ally of the ruling
Telugu Desam, to nominate some of their candidates to the TTD Board. BJP president Amit Shah has reportedly sought representation of Gujarat on the TTD Board.
After the bifurcation, Telangana State is also likely to be represented on the TTD Board. The race for the post of TTD chairman has intensified from within the ruling TD with heavy weights like MP Rayapati Sambasiva Rao, former MLA Chadalawada Krishna Murthy and Gali Muddukrishnama Naidu being among top contenders.
The TTD Board, appointed during the Congress regime, was dissolved by the TD government before it completed its tenure in August.
The AP Assembly amended the AP Charitable and Hindu Religious Institutions and Endowment Acts, under which, the number of members on the TTD Board were increased from 15 to 18.
“This time there is a lot of demand from various quarters to get on Board. Mr Naidu had promised Chadalawada Krishna Murthy the TTD chairman’s post when denying MLA ticket during elections. But with so much pressure, it remains to be seen who will be the fortunate person to get the coveted seat,” said a source close to the CMO.
