Telugu Desam Party
Encyclopedia
Telugu Desam Party or TDP is a regional political party
in India
's Andhra Pradesh
state. It was founded by former Telugu
film star N. T. Rama Rao ("NTR") on March 29, 1982, as an alternative to the ruling Congress
Party in the state.
In the 8th Lok Sabha
1984, it was the second largest party with 39 members.
, who was also known as anna (elder brother), toured the state extensively in what was called Chaitanya Ratham (literally - a chariot which spreads awareness), his "election vehicle", and made use of the immense popularity of his on-screen movie image (his image in roles of Hindu
mythological deities - Rama
, Krishna
etc.) to win the election. The party was voted into power in a record nine months after its establishment on March 29, 1982. He became the Chief minister of AP by winning 203 seats out of 294. TDP also won 30 (out of 42) Lok Sabha
seats in the 1984 Indian elections. This made TDP the largest opposition party in the Lok Sabha as the Indian National Congress
won more than 400 (out of about 500) seats to win the election. This was the first time that any regional party became the largest opposition party in India
.
The TDP was voted to power in the State of Andhra Pradesh
in 1983. During his first term, Rama Rao introduced many populist measures like selling a kilogram
of rice
for Rs
. 2.
In 1984, one of the ministers in his cabinet, Nadendla Bhaskara Rao
removed NTR as Chief Minister with the help of then-governor Thakur Ram Lal
, while NTR was on a foreign trip. Opposition to the removal was widespread, and after one month NTR proved his majority and re-elected as Chief Minister. Following this incident, NTR cancelled the assembly and went for fresh elections in 1985, where he won a landslide majority of 205 seats out of 294.
In 1989, NTR lost in assembly elections, but the National Front led by him won in the national elections and V.P. Singh became the Prime Minister
. In this period Rama Rao played a significant role in national politics by pledging support to the then Prime Ministers V.P. Singh and Chandra Shekhar
(who formed coalition governments in the absence of absolute majority for their respective parties).
TDP returned to power in 1994 by winning 219 Assembly seats out of 294 seats. Rama Rao was elected to be Chief Minister for the second time, but his governing cabinet and family suffered from what many political observers saw, as "unconstitutional interference in affairs" by his second wife. In 1995, Nara Chandrababu Naidu, finance minister and the third son-in-law of NTR (married to NTR's daughter Bhuvaneswari by NTR's first wife Bhasava Tharakam) brought down Rama Rao's government by gathering a majority of the MLA
s in September 1995. The overwhelming consensus against this group led the Election Commission to recognize a break-away faction under the party's original name. Rama Rao vowed to go to the people, seeking a fresh mandate after this humiliation. However, within a year, he died, on January 18, 1996.
On October 9, 2009, TDP announced a major shift in its policy towards Telangana
. The politburo of TDP, after long rounds of discussion, decided that it would favor a separate state for Telangana
.
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
's Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh , is one of the 28 states of India, situated on the southeastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city by population is Hyderabad.The total GDP of Andhra Pradesh is $100 billion and is ranked third...
state. It was founded by former Telugu
Telugu people
The Telugu people or Telugu Prajalu are an ethnic group of India. They are the native speakers of the Telugu language, the most commonly spoken language in India after Hindi and Bengali...
film star N. T. Rama Rao ("NTR") on March 29, 1982, as an alternative to the ruling Congress
Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian...
Party in the state.
In the 8th Lok Sabha
Lok Sabha
The Lok Sabha or House of the People is the lower house of the Parliament of India. Members of the Lok Sabha are elected by direct election under universal adult suffrage. As of 2009, there have been fifteen Lok Sabhas elected by the people of India...
1984, it was the second largest party with 39 members.
NTR's era
NTRN. T. Rama Rao
Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao , also known as NTR and fondly referred to as Anna Garu, was an Indian film actor, director, producer, and a politician...
, who was also known as anna (elder brother), toured the state extensively in what was called Chaitanya Ratham (literally - a chariot which spreads awareness), his "election vehicle", and made use of the immense popularity of his on-screen movie image (his image in roles of Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
mythological deities - Rama
Rama
Rama or full name Ramachandra is considered to be the seventh avatar of Vishnu in Hinduism, and a king of Ayodhya in ancient Indian...
, Krishna
Krishna
Krishna is a central figure of Hinduism and is traditionally attributed the authorship of the Bhagavad Gita. He is the supreme Being and considered in some monotheistic traditions as an Avatar of Vishnu...
etc.) to win the election. The party was voted into power in a record nine months after its establishment on March 29, 1982. He became the Chief minister of AP by winning 203 seats out of 294. TDP also won 30 (out of 42) Lok Sabha
Lok Sabha
The Lok Sabha or House of the People is the lower house of the Parliament of India. Members of the Lok Sabha are elected by direct election under universal adult suffrage. As of 2009, there have been fifteen Lok Sabhas elected by the people of India...
seats in the 1984 Indian elections. This made TDP the largest opposition party in the Lok Sabha as the Indian National Congress
Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian...
won more than 400 (out of about 500) seats to win the election. This was the first time that any regional party became the largest opposition party in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.
The TDP was voted to power in the State of Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh , is one of the 28 states of India, situated on the southeastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city by population is Hyderabad.The total GDP of Andhra Pradesh is $100 billion and is ranked third...
in 1983. During his first term, Rama Rao introduced many populist measures like selling a kilogram
Kilogram
The kilogram or kilogramme , also known as the kilo, is the base unit of mass in the International System of Units and is defined as being equal to the mass of the International Prototype Kilogram , which is almost exactly equal to the mass of one liter of water...
of rice
Rice
Rice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...
for Rs
RS
RS may refer to:- Genetics :A unique submitted SNP record receive a reference SNP ID number . Cf. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DbSNP- Computer-related :* RuneScape, a multiplayer online role playing game...
. 2.
In 1984, one of the ministers in his cabinet, Nadendla Bhaskara Rao
Nadendla Bhaskara Rao
Nadendla Bhaskara Rao was the chief minister of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh for a brief period in 1983. He holds the dubious distinction of serving the shortest term as the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh – 31 days...
removed NTR as Chief Minister with the help of then-governor Thakur Ram Lal
Thakur Ram Lal
Thakur Ram Lal was an Indian politician and a leader of the Indian National Congress in Himachal Pradesh. He was elected to the Himachal Pradesh Vidhan Sabha from Jubbal Kotkhai constituency in 1957. Later, he was re-elected to the Himachal Pradesh Vidhan Sabha from the same constituency in 1962,...
, while NTR was on a foreign trip. Opposition to the removal was widespread, and after one month NTR proved his majority and re-elected as Chief Minister. Following this incident, NTR cancelled the assembly and went for fresh elections in 1985, where he won a landslide majority of 205 seats out of 294.
In 1989, NTR lost in assembly elections, but the National Front led by him won in the national elections and V.P. Singh became the Prime Minister
Prime Minister of India
The Prime Minister of India , as addressed to in the Constitution of India — Prime Minister for the Union, is the chief of government, head of the Council of Ministers and the leader of the majority party in parliament...
. In this period Rama Rao played a significant role in national politics by pledging support to the then Prime Ministers V.P. Singh and Chandra Shekhar
Chandra Shekhar
Chandra Shekhar Singh was the eighth Prime Minister of India.-Early years:He was born on 1 July 1927 to a Rajput farming family in Ibrahimpatti - Ballia in eastern Uttar Pradesh. Chandra Shekhar Singh did his Master of Arts at Allahabad University. He was known as a firebrand in student politics...
(who formed coalition governments in the absence of absolute majority for their respective parties).
TDP returned to power in 1994 by winning 219 Assembly seats out of 294 seats. Rama Rao was elected to be Chief Minister for the second time, but his governing cabinet and family suffered from what many political observers saw, as "unconstitutional interference in affairs" by his second wife. In 1995, Nara Chandrababu Naidu, finance minister and the third son-in-law of NTR (married to NTR's daughter Bhuvaneswari by NTR's first wife Bhasava Tharakam) brought down Rama Rao's government by gathering a majority of the MLA
Legislative Assembly
Legislative Assembly is the name given in some countries to either a legislature, or to one of its branch.The name is used by a number of member-states of the Commonwealth of Nations, as well as a number of Latin American countries....
s in September 1995. The overwhelming consensus against this group led the Election Commission to recognize a break-away faction under the party's original name. Rama Rao vowed to go to the people, seeking a fresh mandate after this humiliation. However, within a year, he died, on January 18, 1996.
Naidu's era
After NTR's death the official symbol of TDP "Cycle" went to Naidu's faction and LakshmiParvathy's faction was grouped as NTR TDP which later became defunct.Naidu became Hi-tech CM in his reign.He returned to power in 1999 election and still holds the record of highest period served CM.Due to neglecting Welfare and Agriculture he lost 2004 and 2009 elections.On October 9, 2009, TDP announced a major shift in its policy towards Telangana
Telangana
Telangana is a region in the present state of Andhra Pradesh, India and formerly was part of Hyderabad state which was ruled by Nizam. It is bordered with the states of Maharashtra on the north and north-west, Karnataka on the west, Chattisgarh on the north-east and Orissa to the east...
. The politburo of TDP, after long rounds of discussion, decided that it would favor a separate state for Telangana
Telangana
Telangana is a region in the present state of Andhra Pradesh, India and formerly was part of Hyderabad state which was ruled by Nizam. It is bordered with the states of Maharashtra on the north and north-west, Karnataka on the west, Chattisgarh on the north-east and Orissa to the east...
.
Assembly Election History
| Year | Genaral Election | Seats Won |
|---|---|---|
| 1983 | 6th Assembly | 203 |
| 1984 | 7th Assembly | 205 |
| 1989 | 8th Assembly | 78 |
| 1994 | 9th Assembly | 218 |
| 1999 | 10th Assembly | 180 |
| 2004 | 11th Assembly | 47 |
| 2009 | 12th Assembly | 94 |