As TDP shut doors Sailajanath returns to Congress ANANTAPUR: In an interesting turn of events on Saturday -- the last day for filing of nominations for the 2014 elections -- former minister Sake Sailajanath filed his nomination for the Singanamala Assembly seat on a Congress ticket after his last-ditch efforts to get a TDP ticket failed .
Sailajanath waited till the last minute and made all-out efforts to get the TDP ticket to contest the elections but the TDP's district leaders 'persuaded' party supremo N Chandrababu Naidu not to oblige the former minister.
Sailajanath, who had played an active role in the Samaikyandhra agitation while he was a state cabinet minister, had initially sailed along with former chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy.
After Kiran Kumar Reddy had floated the Jai Samaikyandhra Party (JSP), Sailajanath was given the post of vice-president in that party.
Sailajanath, however, kept a distance from the newly-floated party's activities giving rise to rumours that he would also be leaving the party. Sailajanath later announced that he would continue with the Congress and the latter also announced the former minister's candidature for the Singanamala segment.
However, Sailajanath too made efforts to join the TDP but the latter did not evince much interest in his joining the party.
Till Saturday afternoon, Sailajanath made hectic efforts to get the TDP ticket and at one stage even there was a news flash that the TDP supremo had cleared the path for his joining the party.
This, however, did not go well with the district party leaders who sent signals to the party leadership that they would not continue in the party if Sailajanath was made a party candidate.
With the TDP denying him the ticket, Sailajanath was left with no option other than filing his nomination as a Congress candidate. Putting on a brave face, he later told newsmen that he would continue to remain in the Congress.
News Posted: 20 April, 2014
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