Hyderabad: Former Union minister in the UPA government and currently a BJP leader, Daggubati Purandeswari, is mulling whether to continue in politics or to retire.
Ms Purandeswari, daughter of Telugu Desam’s founder-president N.T. Rama Rao, had joined the Congress and been elected twice to the Lok Sabha.
After the bifurcation of the state, she joined the BJP, in 2014, and contested from Rajampet, but lost. In the changed political scenario in AP, the BJP is in an unfavourable position and cannot get strong candidates to contest in all 25 Lok Sabha seats and 175 Assembly seats in the ensuing general and Assembly elections. Sources said Ms Purandeswari is aware of this. There is speculation that she may join the YSR Congress. Sources close to her have denied this.
“She will continue in the BJP, otherwise she will take retirement from politics,” sources said.
In the recent TS elections, Ms Purandeswari campaigned in many constituencies. The election results disappointed BJP leaders. In AP, BJP leaders are scared to contest the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections as these elections have become very costly. Thus Ms Purandeswari is pondering whether to continue in politics or quit.
Meanwhile, Ms Puran-deswari’s son Daggubati Hitesh is showing interest in politics and may contest the Assembly elections from Parchur constituency represented by his father Daggubati Venkateswar Rao in the past. There is speculation that he may join the YSRC. Sources said the family has left it to Mr Hitesh on entering politics. They said that if he joins the YSRC and contests the Assembly elections, his mother may decide to retire from politics.
Sources in the YSRC say that the party leadership is considering many options for the Parchur candidate. At present, Ravi Ramana-than Babu (Rambabu) is in charge of Parchur constituency and is aspiring for the party ticket.
YSRC sources said former minister Gade Venkatareddy, who has represented Parchur in the past, is likely to join the party. But Mr Venkatareddy denied this and said that he will continue in the Telugu Desam party. There are no indications that the YSRC is admitting Hitesh into the party and giving him the Parchur ticket.
