New Guidelines Allow Telangana MLAs, MPs to Recommend Devotees for VIP and Special Entry Darshan
Tirupati: The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) has officially implemented Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu’s directive to accept recommendation letters from public representatives of Telangana for Srivari Darshan, starting from March 24.
According to the revised guidelines, recommendation letters from Telangana public representatives for VIP break darshan will be accepted only on Sundays and Mondays and for darshan on the following Mondays and Tuesdays, respectively. Similarly, recommendation letters for Rs 300 special entry darshan tickets will be accepted only on Wednesdays and Thursdays for darshan on the same day.
Each letter can include up to six devotees, and only one recommendation per individual will be considered on a day.
The issue of Telangana representatives’ recommendations had been a matter of contention for years. Last December, TTD faced criticism from Telangana leaders, including V. Srinivas Goud and Konda Surekha, who alleged that Telangana devotees were being sidelined at Tirumala. They claimed that despite a significant number of pilgrims from Telangana, recommendation letters from the state’s leaders were not being entertained. Their statements triggered heated discussions on social media.
Subsequently, Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy wrote to Naidu, emphasising the historic and spiritual bond between Telangana devotees and Tirumala. He urged the reinstatement of a practice that had been in place before the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh in 2014.
Responding positively, Naidu discussed the issue with TTD chairman B.R. Naidu, executive officer J. Syamala Rao, and additional EO Ch. Venkaiah Chowdary.
After detailed deliberations, they decided to allow recommendations from Telangana MLAs, MLCs and MPs bringing parity with their counterparts in Andhra Pradesh.
However, despite the decision, administrative delays postponed its implementation, leading to mounting pressure on the TTD. Several Telangana leaders, including BJP MP M. Raghunandan Rao, accused the TTD of deliberately stalling the process. With growing demands for clarity, the TTD has now formulated detailed guidelines and officially put Naidu’s decision into effect, ending months of uncertainty.
Meanwhile, a change has also been introduced for public representatives from Andhra Pradesh. Previously, their letters were accepted on Sundays for VIP break darshan on Mondays. Now, the letters will be received on Saturdays for darshan on Sundays. The decision was made after reviewing accommodation facilities, darshan schedules and the convenience of all devotees, TTD clarified.
